Trip To Mount Bromo (And Surabaya)

As you might know from my public calendar, early this month I went to Mt. Bromo (with transit in Surabaya first). I was very delighted to have holiday out of town, especially for having a trip back to nature. And indeed it was a very pleasant trip. I met 5 new friends, well actually, from those 7 persons who went there together with me, I only knew 2 persons before. Those guys really know how to make a trip enjoyable. Can’t wait for the next trip! Lombok maybe? Haha.. :D

Anyway, some of the images below were already posted at my moblog directly from the scene, or so. I was quite amazed at how good the HSDPA signal from my provider there, although you really have to find the right spot to be connected. But being a big city though, it wasn’t as easy as I thought to find HSDPA signal in Surabaya when compared to Jakarta or Bandung. Moreover in Mt. Bromo, it WAS difficult. Well maybe that’s the fun from being mobile in Indonesia, you really have to make good use of your feet and hands when searching for signal. Giddy Up! :p

People said, a picture worth a thousand words. Many picture worth thousands of words.. (really?) Okay, stop blabbering. The point is, stop reading and click the two images above. It’ll tell you more than I can say. You gotta see it to believe it. You gotta go there to experience it, definitely!

Anyway, the journey started in Surabaya. I love this city for many reasons, but above all, it’s always because of the food. :D Surabaya is always able to indulge me with a lot of kinds of tasty food, but relatively cheap in price. And owh, most electronic stuffs are also relatively cheaper here compared to other big cities in Indonesia. But no, I’m not going to tell you about food or electronics in Surabaya, maybe next time. For now, may I present you with a brief field report of Mount Bromo.. *tada*

There are several popular paths to reach Mt. Bromo. One can go from Surabaya through Pasuruan or Malang for instance, and reach Mt. Bromo via Tosari. Or like we did, from Surabaya through Probolinggo and reach Mt. Bromo via Ngadisari. One way another, it’s just a matter of landscape view and transportation, trying every path will give you more fun! :) At Ngadisari, we spent two nights at Yoschi’s Hotel. It was a cozy place with some Balinese touch. There are actually some other nice places to stay, but we’re more like a bunch of backpacker with a car, so picking this relatively cheap but cozy place is the most appropriate decision.

We began our first night by playing Uno Cards! Man I didn’t know it could be so much fun playing cards. Despite the schedule, we played late until about midnight and we woke up at three to begin the real fun journey: get some sunrise! We rent two jeeps for the transportation and reach “Penanjakan” in about an hour later. It was quite a difficult track, but we definitely enjoy the bump and slides! :D

The sunrise was great. And from this location, we can see clearly the Mt. Bromo itself and other spectacular views. There were so many people there, local and international tourists attracted by its beauty. Sometimes it was difficult to have a good spot for your camera because of the crowd, and of course, other photographer. I really gathered my guts when I stood on some kind of monument (but it’s not, I swear) just to get an unblocked view of the early sunrise. That would be the third thumbnail on the first picture.

From “Penanjakan”, we continue the journey to reach Mt. Bromo. The base, (the foot of the mountain) largely consisted of sands. There we can find a lot of locals offering their horses to help us reach the top. But believe me, especially when you go there with some friends, it’s more fun just to walk on your own. When we reach the top, we all feel glad yet amazed with the view. It’s definitely not because we-can-see-it-on-national-geographic view, but because we’re there to experience it ourselves we feel overwhelmed.

Later at the afternoon, we went to some small waterfall (I forget what the name was), it’s about an hour journey using a car from the hotel. And as you may guessed, we were so tired and slept like babies on the second night (okay, maybe NOT like a baby, but absolutely sleep tight, safe and sound :p) We went back to Surabaya the next day and depart to our own destination from there. As for me, it was a hell great journey and will definitely miss you all guys! Really really can’t wait to explore Indonesia again! :)

Ow, a reader inspired me to explain this: the 1st four thumbnails on the second picture is NOT a view of an ocean or a lake. It’s a carpet of clouds. We can see that view since we’re at a higher elevation than clouds. Very, beautiful!

Update: This article has been submitted to Indonesia.Travel Blog Contest. Wish me luck guys! :)

Update (again): This article IS the Winner! Yay! :D

SOEDOE Exhibition @ Jakarta

Not much to say about this. It was an exhibition in Balai Kartini, Jakarta, held by the Indonesian Government for five days from 6th to 10th of August. It’s free, both for the exhibitors and the visitors. But you know, being a *FREE* government agenda, most of the times we have to get a good grip and high measures of patience when dealing with the people.

Also, there’s nothing special with the selling revenue. But that’s not the point from the first place. We really hope to get a good publication and a higher public awareness from the exhibition. I hope I can see the results soon.

We welcome you, Ramadhan

And last but not least, *eww, the language*, Mohon maaf lahir dan batin. Bener2 minta maaf seandainya ada salah2 kata ato perbuatan ato menjatuhkan harapan dan sebagainya, mohon dimaafin. I truly am. Mudah2an kita bisa belajar lebih baik lagi dalam Ramadhan besok.

Anyway, I was also delighted when I read the news that says this year, most likely there will be no difference among muslim organizations in Indonesia regarding the decision for the starting date of Ramadhan and Shawal. 1st of Ramadhan will be on the 1st of September, and the 1st of Shawal will be on the 1st of October. It’s just great.

Peace. Out.