Trekking in East Java: Kawah Ijen

Crater rim of Kawah Ijen

Dates of Travel: 

03-04 April 2015

Itinerary: 

02 April - Surabaya to Mt. Bromo

03 April - Climb Mt. Bromo & travel to Kawah Ijen

04 April - Climb Kawah Ijen & travel to Bali

05 April - Bali

06 April - Bali

07 April - Bali to Singapore

Rough estimate for the entire trip:

Not inclusive of food and shopping

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I would also like to give a shout-out to my friend, Kenneth, for taking and providing me with wonderful shots during our trip! All those photos you see that are done professional and waaaaay above average shots were beautifully taken by him. Please do go to his Instagram or website and check out his photos!

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Taking advantage of the Good Friday/Easter Sunday long weekend, my friends and I headed to East Java for a mini hiking expedition. Considering that among us, two of the guys in our group has been to Mount Everest base camp, Mt. Rinjani, African mountains, etc. This is nothing but child's play to them. Of course you need some level of fitness or you'll be left huffing and puffing behind.

I booked the tour from Singapore and for Rp1,080,625 (Approx. S$112) per person, the entire tour includes the transfer from Surabaya Airport - Mt. Bromo - Kawah Ijen - Ferry across Java Strait - Villa in Bali. It also includes a guide to bring us up and down both volcanoes, jeep for Mt. Bromo and water for each day.

I booked with the agency, Wisata Alam Tours and had to pay a deposit of 20% to secure the tour. That is understandable, however the tour agency insisted that I had to pay the 4.5% handling fee charged by Paypal. Although it was not a lot, the agency inflated the exchange rate to quite a ridiculous amount. After clarifying, the agency relented and gave me a proper and acceptable exchange rate.

Things that were NOT included were: entrance tickets for both volcanoes, lunch & dinner during the trip, horse riding at Mt. Bromo & accommodation.

As for lodging, I booked all accommodations on my own as the price quoted by the agency was rather ridiculous. We stayed at Cafe Lava Hostel at Mt. Bromo & Arabica Homestay at Kawah Ijen.

If you're interested to hike up Mt. Bromo or Kawah Ijen, you can contact my guide, Miko, directly. He will be able to arrange something similar but at a lower cost. He is also a fabulous guide with a wealth of knowledge and even helped me massage my leg when I missed a footing and twisted my ankle.
Tel: +62 81336162411
Email: javatourholidays@gmail.com
Website: http://javatourholidays.blogspot.com

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Arabica Homestay

Arabica Homestay

Tel: +62 85259595955

Website: http://agroijen.com/reservasi_jampit/index.php

Email: agro@agro-ptpn12.com

Room Type: Robusta Room
Room Rate: Rp 175,000

We arrived at Ijen base camp around 4-5pm. I believe most of the hotels/homestays are on private property thus, you would need to register at the several guard posts before heading to the hostel.

At the first guardhouse taking photos!

Arabica Homestay is situated on beautiful grounds with lots of gardens and open space. There's even a basketball court at the back yard. The surrounding areas are Arabica coffee bean plantations, so you will get to try some of the coffee at the canteen area. Because Arabica Homestay is situated on the top of the cliff, you'd get a nice view of Kawah Ijen and the surrounding mountains and volcanoes. If you look down, you'd see houses of similar shapes, sizes and colours in a village like area. Those are actually built by the government for the workers and their families who tend to the plantations. There were plenty of photo-worthy backdrops for us to actually have a mini photo shoot, but sun was setting and we just didn't have enough time.

Kawah Ijen Village

The experience with Arabica Homestay, however, was not as pleasant or beautiful as the surrounding gardens though. After settling in and showering (thankfully the water heater worked this time), we went to the canteen for dinner as the nearest food stalls were about 1km away. Initially, there were a plethora of people (and stray cats) and no table for my group of seven. We went back to our room and discussed our finances while killing time. About 30 mins later, some of us went back to the canteen and managed to secure a table. The lady inquired if we wanted dinner and we said "Yes". She informed us that there was no Ala Carte menu and only buffet dinner which will cost us Rp60,000 each. Buffet dinner consisted of steamed rice, maggi goreng, fried eggs, fried chicken, vegetable soup and strawberry juice.

Of course, there was nothing in the buffet trays. There was a group of 10 who wiped out everything before we could even get up from our table. Miko, being the kind guide he is, told the lady at reception to refill the buffet trays as we're all hungry and waiting to have more food. She promised him that she will prepare a separate tray for us and deliver it to our table.

It was a joke, I tell you.

We waited for about 20-30 mins more before the guys decided to walk out to the food stalls about 1km away in search for food. 15 mins later, the food was brought out, but not to our table, but replenished at the buffet trays. By then, there was another group of hungry Indians who were waiting too. Imagine 15 hungry people and the food wasn't even enough! The guys and I communicated via walkie-talkies while the other two girls & K grabbed food for all of us. It was a sight I will never forget! It was so hilarious to see three people, determined on piling the food high on plates, in the hopes it will feed enough for seven hungry monkeys. It was a good thing the food came out though... The food stalls were all closed as it was already 7.30pm, almost 8pm!

Once the guys returned, we feasted like we haven't eaten in 10 days. Total silence at the table, save for the mewing of the 20-odd stray cats, hoping to get some of our discarded scraps of food.

That wasn't the end of the ordeal though.

As we were leaving to retire back to our rooms, we decided to pay for the remainder of the room charges so check out at 1.30am would be a breeze. I paid 50% when I was still in Singapore, with the assistance of my Indonesian friend. They obviously had no record of that. Luckily, I had downloaded all my emails prior to my trip and managed to pull out the confirmation of the transfer. If you have not downloaded your emails yet, fret not! You can try to connect to their intermittent Wifi and try again.

After about 5 mins of scrolling up and down my email, the lady at reception finally agreed that I have indeed paid 50% deposit before my arrival. She wrote a receipt of Rp700,000 for four rooms and after subtracting Rp300,000 deposit, I had a balance of Rp400,000! Now, this was when I got rather agitated.

As per the very "sweet" lady at reception, they've increased their price for Robosta Rooms from Rp150,000 to Rp175,000. Now, this isn't a lot per say if you divide it out among all seven of us, but I found it absolutely ridiculous that they didn't adhere to the rates quoted to me nor even bother to inform me of the increased rates prior to my arrival. The lady even said that she tried calling me that morning to inform me of the price increase but I didn't pick up. Do you smell that smelly smell?

She then proceeded to show me a brochure that "states" the price increase. P eventually scanned through and questioned her back, where was the increase as it still states Rp150,000 per room. After she scanned through two, three copies of brochures and cheekily telling us that it was not updated, she finally found one which stated Rp175,000. Do you smell that smelly smell?

G just told us to stop arguing with her and just pay the extra Rp100,000. There was nothing we could do and in a place like that, they will never relent. We were after all in a foreign land and far from home.

The next morning, Miko said that he got the hostel to prepare breakfast for us since we were checking out at 1.30am. The packed breakfast consisted of two slices of bread, small packet of butter, small packet of funky chocolate rice sprinkles and a hard boiled egg. Well, the packer wasn't very consistent as out of the seven of us, we only had 3 eggs and 5 packets of butter. G was the unluckiest as he didn't get both the egg and butter.

Just a note of advice: Try to pay all your hostel fees in cash on the day of check in if possible. When I booked Arabica Homestay, the confirmation page on the website states that I have to pay 50% deposit to secure my booking. In my email correspondence however, they never asked for it until I mentioned it to them in my emails. To prevent any hassle of rejected transfers, etc and mis-communication on their end, just request to have everything paid in cash on the day of check in.

The rooms, although larger than Cafe Lava, it was less homely and less cozy. The floors were dusty & there were flies and mosquitoes flying around. Cafe Lava may be a cheaper hostel, but they maintained it well! The only plus point for Arabica was that it was ensuite with an attached bathroom.

Kawah Ijen

Elevation: 2,799 m
Last eruption: 1999
Temperature: Base till midpoint about 18-15 Degree Celsius; Peak is about 10-12 Degree Celsius. It will get warmer once the sun rises up.
What to bring: Headlamp, walking stick, proper shoes (I had hiking shoes, but my friends did OK with running shoes, though it was slippery for them), lots of water, jackets (I layered heatec for both top and bottom, dry-fit shirt, sweater and windbreaker), gloves (not necessary, but I was glad I had it as it served as a protection for my hands when I was grappling the rocks), a scarf/mask for the sulphur fumes.

Looking fresh before our hike!

Kawah Ijen was definitely tougher than Mt. Bromo. The entire hike was about 3km, a relatively easy distance on level ground, but you have to gain about 530m in altitute also! The first KM was an OK slope where we took a break once only. The third KM was relatively level and an easy hike up.

About halfway through and enjoying the full moon!

So, you can imagine how steep the second KM must have been! We took a water break every 200-300m and I was huffing and puffing all the way up! The sulphur smell was rather strong at some parts of the second KM and ash dust were flying all around me. Imagine what my sensitive (sinus-loving) nose and lungs must have felt! My chest was burning and I was panting like crazy! It also shows how unfit I am.

Mine workers weighing their haul for the day!

There's also a weighing house 3/4 of the way up where all of us had coffee and Pop Mie (Rp10,000!). It's basically a wooden hut run by an elderly gentleman serving coffee, tea, cup noodles, biscuits and some candy. During the day, sulphur mine workers will come to this hut to have their baskets weighed. Their load usually weights approximately 60kg!

Blurred version of blue flames

Proper photo of the blue flames found on Google

Once at the peak, Miko guided us to a spot along the crater rim to view the blue flames! That was what we woke up at 1.30am for! However, we took one too many breaks and too long a time at the weighing house eating Pop Mie, so we were not able to head down to view the blue flames up close before the sun rises!

many people trying to get a glimpse of blue flames

Once the sun had risen, you can just see the number of people camping at the fence trying to get a view of the blue flames! Because we were not sitting/standing on level ground, I was glad I had my gloves with me as I was able to get down on all fours and get a good grip on the rocks.

rest of the people at the crater peak trying to catch the sun rise

Onward we climbed after sunrise hoping to get a better view of the crater and the sulphuric lake!

Climbing up to the peak

What ever torture I put my lungs and muscles through the 3km hike up to the crater rim was worth it. As the sun rose, the fog and sulphur smoke cleared and revealed the emerald lake. Miko says the lake is so acidic and hot (it sometimes bubbles) that nothing can live inside.

Sitting just at the crater edge!

Beautiful lake & sky!

We spent as long as our hike taking photos and taking in the view!

We just had to do a mandatory yoga pose

We made it!

Of course, on our way down, we just had to have more Pop Mie!!

we love Pop Mie!

Heading down the volcano was just as challenging. Although it was easy on my lungs, it wasn't so for my knees and ankle. It was so steep, it was hard on my joints. Also, you have to watch where you're going or else being the klutz like me, you'll tend to miss your step in a port hole and twist your ankle! Thankfully, Miko was there to massage it and I could walk after resting for 10-15 mins. Luckily it wasn't too serious, though there was a bruise and a slight swell on the side.

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Check out my other post on Mount Bromo!
Or what we did & where stayed in Bali!

South Island on Wheels: Arthur's Pass

Click the link to see the summary of the trip!

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Man altering Mother Nature

I decided not to go in order and post up this entry first because it's way overdue. Also because this entry has been typed up and just sitting in my draft folders for the longest time. It was one of the first post I finished once I came back from NZ and it's such an inspiration to have met those people.

We were heading towards Christchurch from the Glaciers and stopped by Arthur's Pass for a night to break the journey.

It was about 4.30pm when we arrive at Arthur's Pass Village. It was like a setting from a typical horror movie. The Village consisted of about 8-10 buildings, including 2 cafés/eateries and 1 information center. All were closed at that point. We drove up and down several times and we knew the next motor home park will be kilometers away, so we decided to stay at a hostel. 

Arthur's Pass Village

The first hostel/backpackers inn we went to seemed closed. A signage that said the receptionist doesn't operate from that counter and to use a phone card provided and give the owners a call. 

We felt a bit weird about it so we walked to the next hostel. We were just poking around at the front door looking at the signs that again said to pick up the phone receiver located just next to the main door to get access into the hostel. At that point, we were quite hesitant and considered driving through and out of Arthur's Pass to find any sort of life form. 

Stumbled upon this!

Then the door opened and out came Bill. He was dressed in oil-stained overalls and had the warmest smile of a wise old man. We asked if we could just pay and use the facilities as we already had our own bed. We just needed a place to shower and cook our dinner. He agreed as there was only 1 person staying for the night.

Thank you for hosting us at #authurspass Bill! We loved your hostel and your warm hospitality. #NataBertinNZ #newzealand #southisland #happylikeakid #bestplaceever

A photo posted by Natasha Lim (@natatatasha) on Oct 10, 2014 at 8:06am PDT

To be honest, we seriously thought we'd get murdered that night and no one would even know. (Like in the movie, Hostel) But, boy were we wrong. Bill is the friendliest, nicest and fatherly New Zealander we've ever met. He gave us a mini tour of the hostel, the surrounding areas, and even told us folk lore and legends of the surrounding landscape. He told us how he operated his hostel (which I will not write here because people may read this and take advantage of him) and asked repeatedly if we had food for dinner. 

Look what we stumbled upon at Authur's Pass. Great place & met the friendliest people! Such inspiration they are! All traveling for months in New Zealand' #NataBertinNZ #newzealand #authurspass #thesanctary #bestplaceever

A video posted by Natasha Lim (@natatatasha) on Oct 10, 2014 at 2:39pm PDT

As he only comes up a certain day of a week, I told him we were then, very lucky to have bumped into him as it was not that certain day of the week he'd usually come up. He replied, "No, I am also very lucky to have met you too." And he told me I have a beautiful and sweet smile which made me blush like a little girl. 

This post will be filled with many quotes of that night. 

Eventually, he got back to work, cleaning and oiling the machines and water heater tank (that's the reason for all the oil stains) in his backyard and we got back to preparing dinner. We got a large bundle of meat for only $10 by the way and had waaaaay to much food for the 2 of us.

Living Room/Common Area

 Then in the midst of food preparation, in walked in an American Girl and a Spanish Guy. Let's name Her G and Him A. We exchanges greetings and they asked where they could have some coffee and dinner. Told them which direction to head to and they were out the door. A little while later, this Belgium guy (let's name him D) returned from his hike with a stone in the shape of a heart and presented it to Bill. It was quite a sight to see! A 70+ years young man giggling and joking around with D. 

We cooked dinner and realized we had too much to eat so we gave some to Bill and D, as all they had were baked beans and some fruits respectively. We couldn't let them eat just that when we had so much meat and sausages. ($10 bundle remember?) 

Kitchen

Somewhere during dinner, while D was telling us about his adventures in Paraguay, G and A returned and join us. Together we were exchanging stories about our travels and also taught each other vulgarities in our own native language. All 3 of them actually quit their jobs and will be traveling for at least a few years. 

D said that although New Zealand is pretty but it is not as beautiful as some places he's been in South America. A retorted with, "If you keep comparing with other beautiful destinations, how are you ever going to fully immerse and enjoy yourself fully at the destination you're currently in?" 

LOVE THIS FIREPLACE! Just was what I needed that night!

I felt so inspired at that moment. After he said it, it kept going through my mind. It's like in life, if you keep comparing with other people what you don't have, or even what you have and they don't, how are you ever going to really enjoy what you truly have currently?

As the stories flowed, G said when she went to Laos, she met several Laosian people. She said, "They have absolutely nothing, yet they are the happiest people I've ever met." She even recounted how one day she was just walking the streets of Laos and she didn't have anywhere to go or a place to sleep. A Laosian family actually took her in, fed her and gave her a place to sleep. We need to go to Laos soon. 

G also recounted how she got lost in the jungles of Thailand (somewhere off Railey Beach) and she emerged to a deserted beach and how the stars were the best she's ever seen. If it was me, I would have started bawling my eyes out once I realized I was lost.

From all over the world! #Spaniard #American #Belgium #Singaporean

A photo posted by Natasha Lim (@natatatasha) on Oct 10, 2014 at 2:50pm PDT

Eventually we all grew sleepy and went to bed. 

We made funny friends

The next morning, we were talking about a waterfall Bill told us about. It was an easy hike of about 20-30mins to the Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall. Legend has it that if you drink from the falls, you'll stay young forever. Gilbert actually filled his bottle and forced me to drink it. I told him, "I'll be young forever if I drink this and die now!" I drank anyways, and I'm still alive. So I guess all is fine.

Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall

 This was the point where we split up and reassured each other that we would stay in touch via Facebook. Gilbert and I were heading towards Christchurch, A and G were taking the long 4hrs hike, and D was going back to the hostel to meet Bill.

Once we were back and collected the car, we saw Bill still working on his machines. We told him that we were leaving and to visit us in Sunny SG when he has the time. He replied that he doesn't have a passport. Gilbert and I were so astonished. Bill said, "I don't need to see the world. With this hostel, people will come and bring the world to me."

He just warmed my heart so much. 

Continuing our journey through Arthur's Pass, Gilbert and I were discussing about the stay. Gilbert said, "We are never truly happy. We just want to earn money to please people we don't like. We get married and hold an expensive and grand wedding banquet for people we hardly know. We travel on the basis that we want to reward ourselves for the hardwork we've done for other people. And we even have to buy gifts for people who we don't like (for him! I only buy gifts for people I like OK!) when we go on holiday. When are we going to do something for ourselves, truly?"

I want to live here!

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Read All About:

• Timaru
• Oamaru
• Hampden
• Dunedin
• Queenstown
• Lake Wanaka
• Fox Glacier
• Franz Josef
• Arthur's Pass

One Night In Shanghai!

Date of Travel: 18 May 2013

We stayed in Shanghai, China for 1 night as a stopover before heading to South Korea! My boyfriend interned in Shuzhou, China for 6 months the previous year and often visited Shanghai. He knew the city well, and since I've never been to any part of China, we decided to stay in Shanghai for 1 night to just have a look see!

Dock Bund Hostel Shanghai

Dock Bund Hostel

Address: No.55 Hongkong Road 200001, Shanghai, China
Tel: +86 21-53500077
Email: dockbundhostel@gmail.com
Website: http://www.bmhostel.com/en/gyls-dock.html

This hostel is about 10-15 mins walk from the metro, and about another 5-10 mins walk to the bund. Location wise, it is relatively close to the bund, but if you're coming from the metro with lots of luggage, it might be a little hassle. You have to cross a number of roads and junctions to get to the hostel. Gilbert was carrying a backpack and I only had 1 small luggage with me, so we managed.

We stayed in the Standard Double Ensuite right at the top floor. The floors and tabletops were quite dusty, but I couldn't complain more! We had a clean toilet of our own, and the bedsheets were clean!

Shanghai Bund (外滩)

Shanghai Bund

We arrived at the hostel at about 8.30am (we landed at 5am, had breakfast and took the train out). Obviously the room that we booked at the hostel isn't ready yet, as the previous guest has not checked out. So we dumped out bags in the storage room and headed out to the bund!

It was drizzling when we reached the bund which was a little mood killer as it was cold, wet, and foggy! Luckily we had our splash proof windbreaker. Along the way, we saw plenty of old buildings! I looooooove old buildings and architecture!

Shanghai Old Town (上海老街) 

Old streets

Nearest Subway: Metro Line 10, Yuyuan Garden Station  (轨道交通10号线,豫园站)

Next we went to this place where the architecture and buildings were built to replicate the olden Shanghai/China. This is a tourist hotspot/trap and sells all things touristy from postcards to bags to REALLY AWESOME FOOD.

We had two things there, smelly tofu and bbq squid. I still feel that the smelly tofu I had in Hong Kong was nicer and more salty (which is how I like my smelly tofu).

Smelly Tofu!

 The BBQ squid on the other hand..... The auntie took a whole piece of squid on a stick, cut it up and fried it on a hot plate with some onions and garlic. She then sprinkles some oil, sauce and sesame seeds. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water!

BBQ Squid

Hui Lau Shan (許留山)

Mango-licious!

Now, they don't have this in Singapore, and the only time I had this excessively was in Hong Kong about 2 years ago. I loveeeeee all things Mango, and Hui Lau Shan serves not only all things Mango, but other fruit desserts too!

We ordered the big bowl of 'Glutinous Rice Balls in Mango Juice with Extra Mango' (as per menu). But I think the appropriate name of this dessert would be 'Glutinous Rice Balls in Mango Syrup with Chunks of Mango and Mango Ice Cream'. It costs RMB38 (SG$7.80/ US$6.20). It's quite expensive for a regular dessert (especially in China) but it is worth every penny!

The Grandma's Restaurant  (外婆家)

Grandma's Restaurant Entrance 

In Mandarin, the name of the restaurant means Grandma's House. Gilbert has this when he was in Suzhou, and he loved this restaurant a lot! He hunted down a brunch in Shanghai and we went there for dinner!

So, he told me that last year in Suzhou, they queued for 4 hours waiting for their table. They only open during dinner time at about 4pm. They took turns waiting in line or with the queue number for 4 hours! That was madness! We decided to try our luck here in Shanghai.

We arrived and there was massive number of people waiting. We took a queue number, waited a while (10-15 mins) and the numbers did not move at all. So, that was when we decided to go out for a walk, and we had our mango dessert (yes I know, before dinner?) at Hui Lau Shan. When we returned, we were surprised that the number has passed ours by over 20! We immediatly approached the hostess stand and they gave us another number which was just 3 diners away! *Whew*

Grandma's Restaurant!

We ordered:

• Braised Goose Liver in Sake - 19RMB
• Grandma's Special BBQ Meat - 29RMB
• Grandma's Special Pork Liver - 19RMB
• Spinach with Century Egg and Salted Egg - 16RMB
• Stir Fried Straw Mushrooms with Chili - 25RMB
• 2 Cups of Green Tea - 8RMB each

We spent a total of 124RMB (SG$25.40 / US$20.20) for 2 persons!!!

It is affordable, service is very fast and efficient, and the food is fantastic. I understand now why the Chinese are willing to queue for 4 hours just for a 1-2 hours meal!

Nanjing Road (南京步行街)

City lights along Nanjing Road

Bright city lights can be seen along the whole stretch of Nanjing Road. It really is very beautiful in the evening when all the lights are on, shoppers coming in and out of the retail stores, and cute chubby children running around. We basically just walked through the streets are I wasn't in the mood for shopping (think.. Korea!).

CoCo Bubble Tea

Coco Bubble Tea

If you live in an Asian country like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore or even China, I'm sure you've heard of the fad, Bubble Tea. It's usually just Milk Tea with 'Pearls' or rather chewy, starchy (fat inducing) balls. Even though I know it's full of sugar, the 'pearls' are nothing but empty calories, I just love drinking bubble tea!

And according to Gilbert, CoCo is one of the best in Shanghai (or China?). We literally walked out of the way just to find this stall, and it was indeed refreshing after such a strenuous long walk. I like how some brands of bubble tea has the tea taste like Koi (SG) or 50 Ban (TW) and mostly, other brands just has the milk taste.