Mount Bromo offers glorious sunrises, magnificent terrain
Mount Bromo offers glorious sunrises, magnificent terrain
By Grace Segran
BROMO, East Java (JP): Mount Bromo National Park in East Java
has been described as "a vivid holographic portrayal of science-
fiction landscapes straight out of a Bradbury or Asimov story".
It consists of beautiful highlands, but it also boasts of desert
tourism. During the night and early morning, the temperature
often drops to close to freezing point.
Three mountains in its center are still active: Semeru (the
highest mountain of Java at 3,676 meters high), Bromo (2,383
meters) and Tengger (2,770 meters).
We recently visited Mount Bromo. Mount Bromo is a crater
within a crater. It is one of four mountains that have emerged
within the caldera of the Tengger volcano.
We had reservations at Bromo Tosari. There are two major ways
of getting to Mt. Bromo. Initially we took the Probolinggo route.
However, when we got to the Ngadasari checkpoint, our Kijang van
was deemed unsuitable by the guard to continue the last couple of
kilometers into Tosari. We had to backtrack and approach Tosari
via Pasaruan, taking another four hours.
At 3:30 a.m., our phone rang. There was no one on the other
end of the line; it was the wake-up call to adventure. After a
nice warm shower, we put on sweaters that we normally use for
European winters, and good walking shoes.
Our guide, Pak Imam, met us in the lobby. He checked out
clothing to ensure that we were warm enough for the brisk
mountain air. He himself was dressed in white overalls, and
reminded us very much of an astronaut about to go to the moon. We
jumped into a private jeep and sped to Pernanjakan (The
Promontory) for what is considered to be the best place to watch
the sunrise.
The journey took about 45 minutes. On the way, we saw pockets
of Tenggerese, with huge baskets of freshly harvested vegetables
on their backs. They walked briskly, silently in single file on
the side of the road in pitch darkness.
Soon the Bromo and Semeru peaks came into view. Clouds hugged
a portion of the mountains but the peaks stood out regally above
them. Against the light of the full moon, the view was stunning
and postcard-like.
The jeep drew to a stop and we weaved our way in the dark
through dozens of other vehicles. I suddenly realized that there
were going to be quite a few other "pilgrims" on this early
morning outing.
The walk up to the promontory was steep. At the top, there
were well-lit stalls selling hot beverages and cup noodles for
the cold and hungry. There were also shops that sold souvenirs
such as ikat, postcards and paintings. Here was where you could
rent jackets for approximately Rp 10,000 a piece if you couldn't
take the cold any longer. A flight of steps led to the viewing
point.
The view from the promontory was breathtaking. Above the thick
layer of clouds below us we could see the reddish skyline. We
were afraid that the sunrise would not be as glorious as we'd
wanted it to be because of the clouds. But we were not
disappointed. The sun rose majestically above the clouds. It was
blood red and it inched its way out of the horizon, blinding us.
After huddling together in the cold for half an hour or more to
wait for this gratifying moment, everyone clapped when the sun
appeared.
After we had ensured that the sun had safely risen that day,
we made out way back to the jeep. We stopped along the way to
warm our hands over a fire. Some stopped to return the jackets
that they had rented. From the promontory, we made our way to the
Bromo crater.
After about 30 minutes, there was before us the huge brown
expanse of volcanic ash and stones which was the Sand Sea. It
looked like a scene out of Indiana Jones as jeeps sped along in
both directions on the dirt track. Friends had told me about the
sea of sand but this was not like anything I had imagined.
The Sand Sea has a diameter of 11 km. The Bromo and Batok
mountains rise out of this desolate landscape. Dramatic walls --
steep and craggy -- rise up to between 200 meters and 600 meters
marking the rim of the large caldera.
As we approached Mt. Bromo, our nostrils were hit by the odor
of rotten eggs; sulfur fumes from the steaming craters permeated
the air. The jeep stopped a short distance from the foot of Mt.
Bromo near the temple where Tengger priests offer sacrifices each
year to Joko Seger, the spirit of Bromo.
In days of old, humans were thrown into the gaping abyss of
Mount Bromo as a sacrifice to appease the god and to appeal for
fertility in the land. Today they practice a modification of this
ancient ceremony and offer live poultry, money and flower petals
instead. Each year, thousands of devotees ascend the mountain at
midnight under a full moon, chanting mantras, to offer their
gifts to the ancestral spirits.
We made our ascent on pony, winding our way over cinders and
ash. A steep concrete stairway, of about 273 (depends on who is
counting!) steps at the foot of Mt. Bromo brought us to the lip
of the smoldering crater.
Atop Mt. Bromo we were rewarded with a magnificent view of the
Sand Sea and Mt. Semeru to the south. The lunar-like landscape of
Mt. Batok to the left has symmetrical furrows resembling a
gigantic orange squeezer.
We descended the mountain after we had our fill of the mystic
beauty of the terrain, and rode silently back to civilization.
Telling ourselves that we should soon return to celebrate the
sunrise and explore the enchanting terrain.