Sunday, July 24, 2016

BROMO: The Unforgettable Day

This week has, without question, given me one of the most incredible life memories. It's a week that I won't forget. Specifically, my journey to visit Mount Bromo, an active volcano with amazing sights in Java, Indonesia.
After going back to Gili Trawangan (where I did not find my missing clothing anywhere), I went to Bali again for two more nights before flying to Surabaya.

Seminyak & Canggu

I was only in Seminyak for two nights - it's near Kuta, Bali (Where I spent my first night on this trip) and has some amazing shopping... not that much culture, but a really busy nightlife. One of the days I strolled the beach for countless hours, I don't know how many miles I walked. It was a very reflective and solitary day, but one which I enjoyed very much. Not that much to report here though, as I was anxiously awaiting the morning I would leave for the airport.

This poor baby turtle never made it to the ocean :(
Amazing place called La Laguna

Malang

A VERY, VERY delayed flight (5.5 hrs late) and two buses later, I made it to Malang which is a good stop for those interested in visiting mount Bromo. This is by far the cutest hostel I've ever stayed in... Butik Capsule Hostel. The owner was like a father, treating all of his guests like his pre-teen children. It was so sweet. I couldn't stop laughing at his cute decor choices (think: Anime character stuffed animals for each bed).

Barely within MINUTES of my arrival, the owner was on the phone with someone scheduling a mount Bromo pick up. I hadn't even checked in yet, and I was ready to wind down and take it easy the following day - when he handed me the phone to speak to the guide that would later pick some of us up at.....1:00 in the morning. I couldn't believe I spontaneously said yes - I still had all of my bags on me, hadn't checked in, and I was about to leave 6 hours later to hike a giant volcano. I made great friends with two students from a university in Malang, who told me, "OH! But Bromo became active today!! We saw it on the news..." They turned to each other, gave each other a silent look, then back to me again to say,
"good luck."
Turns out it was the perfect day, decision, and by far the greatest highlight of my entire trip so far.

One more thing to mention before my Bromo adventure was my dinner that night after checking in. Something different about Java is that there are far less people who speak english here, and this is also a fully Muslim island. So much so that I felt very uncomfortable exposing my shoulders and any part of my leg. But anyway: Dinner. I walked down the street to this "Warung" (food stand) and the entire menu was in indonesian. I recognized some words but not all, and was craving vegetables and squid. I asked the woman who takes the orders if she speaks English - she laughs and is desperate for her colleague to come over! This begins a very long session of laughs, confusion, and a game of pointing and nodding at other peoples' dish contents. The cooks, all male teenagers, kept laughing and waving hi. Literally no words exchanged, just gestures, gossiping, playing process of elimination - the whole situation was like it was the funniest challenge they had faced all week. And I thought I had ordered squid, but apparently the word I used meant shrimp. A memorable moment...



Now, for the star of the week, :

MOUNT BROMO:

I will remember this day forever. It will go down as one of the most spectacular and extraordinary scenes, sights and experiences of my life. I really can't believe what a surprise I was in for as the entire day kept unfolding...

Pick up was at 1AM. Our group was small, only 6 in a jeep. After an hour or two driving to the base of the Bromo area, it became a dark and steep uphill ride through amazing green landscapes, cliffs, that surrounded us on all sides. The only thing lighting our path through the window of our rickety old jeep was the moonlight - it also happened to be a full moon. I could barely make out that we were passing by amazing villages of farm fields. My ears popped and I couldn't tell if it was the altitude or my fatigue but it was becoming more and more difficult to take in full, deep breaths. We stopped somewhere along the way where we could see in the far distance which majestic hills we had to drive across in order to reach Bromo in the hours ahead.

That's when the real journey felt like it began... it was 3:30AM. We were -- in the true definition of the saying -- in the middle of nowhere. Not a soul, not an animal. Just a dirt road we were following, surrounded by low-cut bushery. Soon the bushery disappeared, and we found ourselves driving through endless fog and mist, on unmarked paths made only by the tire marks of previous jeeps that passed there before us. It just looked like dry, desert land. And we couldn't see anything beyond 15 feet of us. There was no sound, either. From any of us, or anything from outside, besides the keep's engine and rocking motion made by driving across the roughest dirt terrain. It felt like a different world. Where were we?!?! The fog was thick -- I was wowed and baffled by our driver's ability to know where and when to turn on a dirt ground that was so never-ending you felt like you would fall off the edge of the earth soon. Finally, we passed a few other jeeps making the same drive...



After this never-ending terrain, we finally make it up this steep path. I can see the volcano in the distance, thanks to the moonlight. It is so beautiful already, so majestic and powerful, quiet, enormous, I was so struck by its beauty and I instantly thought of papa when he reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro and what he felt there. I had the biggest lump in my throat and thought maybe he was enjoying this glorious sight with me. I knew the best was yet to come...

We finally reached the view point. So many people here already, waiting for dawn and sunrise to reveal this magical place. It was 4:30. We had a long wait to go...

And then suddenly, dawn came... a beautiful, lavender tint took over the landscape, with higher clouds complementing it with a subtle pink from the sun's close arrival above the distant hills. Every moment was magical. And there was, in a moment, emotion misting from my eyes. I could feel papa's company again and his appreciation for such a place, and I was reminded again once more of his Kilimanjaro experience. His emotions reaching Kili were probably what I was feeling but 10 times more intense from its physically taxing distance that this trek did not have. And I thought of him, and felt him, with every slow blink, deep breath, and "wow" that was whispered. And while it sounds cheesy when putting it into words, I placed my hand over my heart and let my eyes fill as he flooded my mind with nature's spectacular beauty over a sea of clouds. There is a picture someone took of me where you can see the glossiness of my eyes...




There is a quote from a woman who did this Bromo hike who I found on afar.com, that perfectly describes this entire moment in words that I wouldn't be able to express any better:

"[...] Waiting for the sunrise hopeful that the clouds would lift and reveal this majestic scenery is probably as close as I'll ever get to the moon. Bundled up in jackets with the smell of grilled corn in the air this moment, filled with nothing but silence and the flashing sounds of fellow photographers, is one of the most majestic one can experience. I remember thinking I would never see anything like this again and mourned instantly hoping that another trip would offer a similar moment in another remote location of Earth. This is a place for travelers who yearn for the moments that reassure us of our conviction. All followed by a jeep ride through the sea of ash and the hike up to the edge of the volcano to make offerings of flowers along narrow ledges of sand into the center of earth..."please let me feel this way again.""


The sun had filled the landscape with warmth now. We made our way down the hill back to our jeep at 6AM to other viewpoints which were just as spectacular.



The clouds hadn't evaporated yet, and wouldn't for a while. By that time it was lunch. In the daylight, the flat, never-ending ground of rough terrain we were on in the middle of the night became even more impressive. It was still msit for miles, and the entire ground was just so interestingly lit up and deserted. I truly felt like I had landed on another planet. Or the moon. Or one of the drought, arid planets from Star Wars. I can't describe it any better than that, and it was so mesmerizing. Also felt like maybe I was in a videogame, ready to take on whatever would come our way through the mist.



The mist, not only making it appear like the ground was endless and vast, also illuminated everything so much. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Then after our lunch break, it was actually time to hike up lord knows how many steps up to Mount Bromo's NEWLY ACTIVE crater. Climbing it was exhausting, with the steepest steps made of soft volcanic ash, cutting the distance of each step you made in half. There were many horses and their owners along the way, happy to pick up hikers who were simply too tired to make the 3km trek by foot.


My friend Misbah (another Malang University student) and I finally make it to the top together. It was pretty scary though, because the rim of the crater was so narrow, barely 3ft wide, with several people on it - so passing by them was very dangerous if people weren't careful. But I was finally able to look in, and look out. Both views were equally breathtaking, moving and surreal. I was mesmerized by the smoke. In all honesty, standing and nervously balancing at the rim of the crater, with HIGH smoke activity, and looking at that death fall, and looking at the other mountain with the endless drop hundreds of feet down -- the whole thing made it beyond one of the most exhilarating hikes and experiences of my life. From the view at sunrise, to the misty surface of the moon/star wars planet, to the hike up to an active volcano's rim, I was high on amazement and, honestly, felt so, completely filled with life.




There were locals on the INSIDE rim of the crater, crazy enough to spend the day there where they had nets to catch peoples' offerings and throw them into the pit - something which happens annually and coincidentally was occurring only on that day. I was lucky to witness it.



It was still scary though. People were pushing, passing each other with senseless movement making it more dangerous for someone to lose their balance and either fall down endless volcanic ash to the base of our climb, or fall down into what can only be compared to the pits of hell.
To the left, the hundreds of feet dropping down volcanic ash; to the right, the immediate death drop into the smoking crater hole...
Misbah sitting there - to the left is Mount Batur crater, to the right is where we hiked/came from.

After this amazing and unforgettable moment, Misbah and I headed back to our jeep and we went to an incredible green hilly field that reminded me of epic adventure films and series sets like Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones.


We also passed by the same villages of farm lands from the middle of the night, but the clouds were so thick we didn't see much.


After such an epic, emotional, and active day, it was no surprise I passed out for a 6 hour snooze when we returned back to the hostel. Only got up to eat some dinner, a soup called Soto Lambugan (cost me $1 USD) with white noodles and a mixture of meats. I left the following morning to take a 7.5 hour train to Yogyakarta...

Where I Am Now

Yogyakarta, which is pretty much the cultural hub to Java as Ubud is to Bali. I just arrived here the night before yesterday, so have only really had a chance to visit a few places including this crazy bird market called Pasty, an amazing water palace called Taman Sari where there is an underground mosque, and one of the most important temples, Prambanan (today - no pic yet), which I enjoyed but thought was less impressive that Cambodia's Angkor Wat.

Yes... those are baby chicks dyed different colors...


I am now more than halfway done with my trip but wow, the day of Bromo alone made this entire 6-week trip worth it. I will remember everything I felt and saw there with deep nostalgia, elation, gratitude, and love.

Until next week, xo

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Gili Islands & Lombok

What a long week - I have only been able to access a computer now. It's been a very, very different week than my time in Bali... No classes, no running around, just pure vacationing and relaxation...

Gili Trawangan

There are three Gili islands off the coast of Lombok, Bali's eastern neighbor. Each one has a different vibe and purpose. Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. I stayed at Gili Trawangan, which is known for its endless nightlife :) it is a very lively island, and its only modes of transport are either bicycle or horse carriage - there are no cars or motorbikes. There are also amazing opportunities for snorkeling and diving.

The only thing I did my first night was watch the sunset. I've been told that here, you want to watch as many sunsets as possible. And wow, are they worth it. My jaw was to the ground.


The dangers of Gili T

I stayed in my first night but woke up from the panting sounds of my roommates who just had a scary run-in with locals regarding a drug scheme. Long story short, their night was spent running away from a whole gang of locals chasing them on bicycles with KNIVES and throat cutting threats, because one of them didn't pay for something. Their chase around the island went on for hours in the middle of the night, and they had just turned the corner to our hostel to safety - needless to say I couldn't sleep anymore that night in fear that the locals would come barging in, demanding money. Thankfully they didn't show up. That was an unsettling start to my time on Gili T... "Lombok people, not like us," I remember Ketut saying.

The surprises of Gili T

I had a mouth ache after my first night, some problem with my wisdom tooth. I thought, I have to leave this island, go all the way to Lombok and drive to the best hospital or dentist on the island because there was no way I could find one here. My stomach sank. I told the hostel receptionist that I needed to see a dentist, and he said, "clinic?" and I thought no way they would have what I need, but why not. I go to this tiny clinic stall which is like a tiny pharmacy of a glass case with a bunch of random types of medicine stored in it. This young teenage boy opened the door. "Hi, I think I have a gum infection and need--"
"Amoxycillin?"
Oh my god! This young guy knew exactly what I needed and right away, and he had some!! I couldn't believe it. He didn't even ask me any questions about it. He just gave me a big pack, which I was even able to negotiate down to half the price to 100k R. (literally $7 USD!!) I wish it was this easy in the States. They make it way too complicated (and expensive).

Snorkeling

My first stop was snorkeling! And I was able to get amazing photos with my new underwater camera. It was an incredible experience to also find sea turtles in the open ocean and swim with them. I definitely caught myself saying "WOW..." - looking at this amazing turtle, just swimming - FLOATING - across this endless, deep blue expanse. It was actually very moving. I also got to feed some fish, spotted a few squids, and even an eel. One of the more memorable snorkeling experiences I've had...





Look at him go!! I had a difficult time keeping up with him though. He was fast
amazing snorkeling location
After the snorkeling, I made a bunch of new friends at my hostel, hoping to see the sunset again. This was one of the most amazing sunsets I'd ever seen, with the pinkest sky, and the calmest water... A moment I will always remember. It was so picturesque. I also took a moment to enjoy a gleaner walking across the water to pick up seaweed as the sun was setting, with Volcano Batur in the distance...

A gleaner walks across the shallow water to pick up some seaweed, with volcano batur in the background at sunset

Friends from my hostel and I went out that night to amazing bars with amazing dance music, and I can't remember what time I went to bed, but I do remember that it ended with a beautiful view of the Milky Way and fast-moving shooting stars...



Jiggy Boat Party

This reminded me so much of my time in Cambodia when I was on the Khmer New Year boat party. The only difference was this was just a fun boat to be on for a Saturday where nearly half the island's backpackers all come onto the boat to meet each other and have an amazing time!!! While I had a really fun time, the current was so strong by the end of the day that I was desperate to get off the boat in fear of getting sick. It was a really scary way to get off the boat too - people were transferring 50 people at a time to literally leap from our giant big rocking catamaran to another smaller boat. But overall, amazing dancing, swimming, and getting to know fellow travelers.







front row center hehe 0:)

The following day was just spent on the beach and in high open-air huts found above some trees facing the ocean. A very lazy day, but with amazing nightlife again.


The streets were absolutely packed with people dancing, playing games, high on life and the summer night breeze. I went to this reggae bar called Sama-Sama, where there is live music every night. They sang covers of popular songs and sang Amy Winehouse - Valerie -- the main singer spotted me in the crowd and gestured me to come over. "Me?!" I looked behind me. "Yes!" he motioned. So I happily got near the stage where he passed me the mic and I sang Amy Winehouse Valerie for everyone! Another night I will always remember. Friends and I took a break on the beach to listen to the waves, watch the boats dimly light up from the bars' strobe lights behind us, with the pulsing beats of the music as we also watched more shooting stars above our heads. All that paired with an ice cold bottle of Bintang beer, and my feet buried in the sand...

I decided to leave Gili Trawangan and go to Lombok's southern coast the following day...
A place to play "beer pong"...

The street and the bar entrance - people just everywhere

Lombok - Kuta

Lombok is completely quieter than Gili T, and often overlooked, which I find bizarre considering it is so close to Bali. But WOW it is so beautiful!!! It is the most lush, green environment I may have ever seen. We were winding down and across hilly mountains that were so thick and dense with different tropical plants I don't think anyone could walk through it unless they were the size of a macaque monkey. I couldn't snap a picture of the jungle areas since they were mostly seen by car, but there were other equally amazing landscapes - Kuta is on the southern coast and is mainly a really beachy area with amazingly scenic drives.

Where I stayed!!! "Kuta Cabana"
facing away from the shore
Had lunch at this amazing place
I also couldn't help but stop near my hostel my first day in Kuta when seeing a bunch of local kids playing soccer, who were actually really welcoming in letting foreigners play with them!




There are also beautiful bays to visit in Kuta, as well as amazing (and completely deserted!) beaches where the only people in the water were local fishermen, catching small fish for their families.

another swing! and enjoying a fresh young coconut.

a giant plateau rock you could climb, dividing two differeny bays

I thought the sand looked really interesting, like perfectly circular beads

women selling sarongs near the shore

the near-deserted Mawun Beach
Later that evening, I stumbled upon a local spot - completely at random - because I was trying to get away from really scary feral dogs. The dogs on Lombok are REALLY scary, they have a high chance of having rabies, and really act like non-guarded attack dogs that are ready to strike at any moment. They have chased some people before and I was not taking any chances since I didn't get my rabies shot. So I ran into this local place instead... It was so cool - there were maybe only a dozen locals in there, all listening to Indonesian karaoke tracks, and they were all drinking a local palm wine called "tuak". It didn't taste very good though, a bit like a non-bubbly mimosa...

Sade Villages & Sasak People

During my time in Lombok I also had the chance to go and visit a Sade village, where sasak people live - they are predominantly Muslim and are famous for their traditional hand weaving and cutely-shaped huts! (mainly shaped in that way because in the above compartment they store rice).

a cutie in mid-slumber!!


There was a very touristy sade village which I quickly skimmed before finding a different one tucked away  about 1km further out. In this one, I got to sit with a bunch of locals (29 families in total live here, and they are less than 160 people total). They told me that they welcome visitors and encourage visitors to spend one night in one of their huts for free. I got to learn a lot about the way that they live here, as they chatted with me over some special Ramadan cake made with palm sugar, and sun-dried snacks made with coconut, eggs, and onion. They also told me to stay for a cup of Lombok coffee!!

Fun facts:
1). Weaving a sarong from beginning to completion takes 1 month to make.
2). A woman has to know how to weave before she can get married.
3). Once married, a man and a woman can sleep in the same house together, but once they have their first child, then the woman and baby sleep inside, and the man sleeps outside.
4). If a family has a son, the son sleeps inside until age 10 after which he joins the father to sleep outside.
5). If a family has a daughter, she sleeps inside until marriage.

so cute!!
she gave me all the snacks :)
One of my last nights in Kuta ended at Barrel Sports Bar, which is a quiet surfer bar but where the atmosphere is incredibly fun. I ended my night singing amazing songs with a local playing all of the chords to any song request on the spot. It was one of my favorite nights so far!

One of my biggest surprises in coming to Indonesia is how nice they all are - they all look out for you and your belongings, and also integrate themselves with tourists while enjoying a drink or two. We are always intermingling with each other and it makes for a great time where I feel so immersed in their worlds. But another surprise, which isn't so great, is how terrible they are at doing laundry. I swear everything that I've given them that is white is now a rusty brown due to some kind of chemical. Not only that, but I've already lost one of my bathing suit bottoms and one of my only tank tops, one that I really really liked, too! :( They have a tendency to do laundry and mix it up with other peoples' things. It makes me dread doing laundry now and I'm really upset that I lost two very important things since I brought so little on my trip.

One last surprise - every. single. foreigner. in lombok. is french. They are absolutely everywhere, I can't escape them!!

Yoga on a hilltop

My last day in Kuta was spent taking this unbelievable "yin yoga" class where I actually fell asleep twice, it was so peaceful. not a bad view for Yoga...



I thought of papa when seeing these plump yoga lady statuettes...

Where I am Now

I am back on Gili Trawangan for one more night, largely in part because I wanted to see if I could find my top and bikini bottom somewhere at my old hostel and laundry place but to no avail - they're gone forever. Tomorrow I leave back to Bali for another two nights to explore a few more areas, before taking a flight over to Java to hike the amazing mount bromo...

I am already so surprised by things that have occurred on this trip. Someone once asked me what I hoped to get out of this trip, and my best response was actually inspired by what a good friend told me from my first SEAsia trip - that I'd rather be surprised by what I get out of this trip, than have expectations... It has been filled with so many unexpected encounters, experiences and stories thus far. And I'm not even halfway done...