Magnificent Bromo needs respect -- and protect

Magnificent Bromo needs respect -- and protect

By Simon Marcus Gower

BROMO, East Java (JP): A little after 3 a.m. is not ordinarily
a time that one would choose to take a walk, but then there is
nothing ordinary about a trip to Mount Bromo. Having entered the
Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park via the remote villages of
Sukapura and Ngadisari, a hot cup of tea is a welcome boost to
brace oneself against the predawn cold of this, as yet, dark and
chilly land.

Local people are quick to offer gloves, scarves and hats to
combat the cold. Also, offers of jeep and horse rides to Bromo
will be received, as this national park and its people have
become well acquainted with the wants and needs of touring
visitors. Passing by all these offers, the walk to Bromo begins
with a short climb and then a long descent into an empty valley,
and immediately the difficult, almost farcical, walk ahead
becomes apparent.

With little or no moonlight to help, the road ahead and the
entire landscape is nothing but a pitch-black emptiness. Even
with the benefit of small flashlights, only a limited idea of
where you are and where you are going can be gained. Each day
dozens of people make this walk, and to effectively to find one's
way in the darkness being a near-blind follower is the only
option.

The walk from Lawang to Bromo is only around three
kilometers, but thanks to the darkness and the difficult terrain
it could easily be 10 times that distance. All that one can do is
stumble along feeling for each footstep, as the surface is
covered with crevices and rocky unevenness that can easily cause
a fall. But this walk is the cause of much laughter and hilarity,
as you depend on one another and cannot help but laugh at your
temporary feeble state.

Though it is impossible to know it in the inky blackness, you
are, in fact, crossing the vast and desolate Sea of Sand that
lies at the foot of Bromo. To add to the difficulty of crossing
this empty lifeless expanse, halfway across trotting horses and
their handlers emerge from the darkness and are offered as
transportation to those who have grown weary of toddling like a
small child across this inhospitable land.

For those that continue to walk, the half-light that
begins to emerge as a new day slowly pushes away the darkness
brings some relief. Eerily the mysterious and strangely
magnificent outline of Bromo's crater mountain begins to come
into focus. In the half-light it is just a huge hulk of
foreboding blackness, but as the daylight begins to gather the
colors of the mountain begin to emerge, too. Yellows, greens,
grays, browns, reds and even shimmering silvers and golds may
be seen, and the brutal looking ruts that run from top
to bottom of the mountain take attention, breath and
words away.

Climb

The climb up the mountain begins over massive boulder-like
escarpments of jagged rock. As height is gained one may begin to
look back upon the distance already covered. What may be seen is
the empty desert-like Sea of Sand. A line of walkers may also be
seen and busy jeeps may be seen bouncing across the vacuous
landscape carrying people toward the mountain. It all has the
appearance of some pilgrimage trail with devotees heading to pay
homage at a holy site.

To complete the climb to the crater's edge a flight of
concrete stairs has to be ascended. With over 200 steps to be
taken, some call this the "Stairway to Heaven". But there seems
some irony in this title, for having climbed these brutal and
ugly steps what awaits is a thin crater's edge beyond which lies
the deep, smoldering and aggressive looking crater that looks
rather more like an image from hell than heaven.

Regardless, as the sun finally rises and shines upon the
crater's edge and across the primordial and almost unearthly
landscape of this national park, the wonder of it all cannot
escape you. Young and old alike climb to the crater's edge to
experience sunrise at Bromo, but sadly not all respect what they
are seeing and experiencing.

The local people here are known as the Tenggerese and through
a variety of historical twists and turns they are of the Hindu
faith. A substantial part of their religious belief lies within
the rugged landscape of these volcanic mountains. They believe
that the mountains are home to their Hindu gods and accordingly
they afford great honor and respect for this strange, yet
stunning landscape. A temple has been built at the foot of the
mountains and devotional ceremonies are held to appease the gods.

Sadly though, too many visitors to Bromo do not uphold similar
respect. The majority of the crowds that gather on the crater's
edge to witness the event of the sunrise it seems do not do so
for any spiritual or soulful uplifting. It appears many are there
merely for "been there, done that" reasons. The spectacular
stillness and quiet of this vast landscape has only a limited
effect on these visitors as they chatter and even shout at each
other. A few carry radio-cassette players and pollute the
stillness with noise.

Others, however, pollute in a far more damaging and lasting
way. With the early morning walk and climb leaving most people
tired, thirsty and hungry, drinks and snacks are carried and
consumed, but all of it contained in plastic, paper,
aluminum and metal foil wrappers, bags and cans. A
lack of respect for the environment means that, in an
almost contemptuous manner, much of this packaging is
simply tossed either into the crater or down the mountainside.

This littering means that a confetti of rubbish may
be seen around the so-called "Stairway to Heaven".
Though this littering may easily be lost in the immense expanse
of this national park, it really should not be allowed to go
unchecked and abated. Perhaps garbage cans could be strategically
placed and visitors reminded to use them on the tickets that
they must purchase to enter the park. The Tenggerese people would
surely approve of such measures as encouraging respect for the
home of their gods.

Also all tourists, whether international or domestic,
should approve of measures to maintain and safeguard
the quite astonishing environment of Bromo. This site
is not only a national park; it is an internationally
renowned geographical wonder consistently featured in
geographical magazines, television films and videos.
This is why it receives so many international
visitors. It is a shame that firsthand experience of
this world wonder should be accompanied by some
feelings of regret that full respect and due care and
attention is not always being paid.

Some may consider the lack of respect as the reason for the
recent rumblings and eruptions at the site, showing the anger of
the gods at human mistreatment of their abode.