Climbing Mt. Bromo

In many ways I identify with a volcano. I am aware of the smoldering fires that rage inside, the occasional eruptions, the destruction, the long periods of dormant relief. I believe that we all hide these unquenchable fires within us - afraid to acknowledge our hidden volcanoes, the latent energy, fire, power.

Volcanoes dot the length of Java's spinal cord, some extinct, some dormant but with boiling cauldrons, some very recently, very active. I got a sense of Java's fires flying down its length recently.

Of all the volcanoes in Java, Mt.Bromo is the most famous, at least amongst the tourist circles. I still remember the first photo I saw of Mt. Bromo - a volcano emerging out of a sea of ashes, golden in the early morning light. It seemed a world lofty and high, fuming with internal fires hidden deep inside. And, one could climb Mt. Bromo, lean over its burning heart to glimpse this molten heat, the power, a core that kept this world alive, and us kicking.

We arrived to find that Mt. Bromo was one of three eruptions within an original volcano crater that covered a ten square km area and was now part of the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National park. Our hotel was perched right on the rim of this volcanic crater giving us a view of the Bromo-Bartok-Kursi peaks across a sea of ashes beginning right under us. Temperatures were freezing when we arrived and the trek next morning started at 3:30am under a full moon.

What we saw and experienced was a walk with spectacles beyond compare. These photos below hold barest hints of what it was like to be there!