Very Volcanic Views

This weekend  I had my last Indonesian travel adventure. In preparation for the 40 hours of travel I have ahead of me, I spent about 12 hours traveling this weekend, so I could glimpse the sunrise at Mt. Bromo. Jessie and I set off early Saturday morning to catch our flight from Jakarta to Surabaya (a city in East Java). At the airport we met up with Lindsey, a friend of Jessie's traveling through Indonesia on her way back to Australia. After an uneventful plane trip we met our driver and started the 4 hour drive up to the hotel at the edge of the Bromo National Park. 

First view of Bromo form the hotel parking lot.

View from the hotel room porch.

Sunset

While I would not recommend the food at the Lava View Lodge, the views more than make up for a not so great dinner and breakfast. At 3:30 the next morning we were awaken to start another hour of traveling up bumpy mountain roads to get to the viewpoint. After an hour standing at the viewpoint, I was complaining about the cold, not a normal occurrence here. However, the views were well worth any minor teeth chattering.

Sunrise

Anak Bromo, Bromo, and Semeru

Anak Bromo, Bromo, and Semeru

Three Angels

After catching the sunrise, it was back down the mountain to cross the sea of sand and climb to the top of Bromo.

Hindu Temple at the base of Bromo

Climbing up Bromo (Lindsey, Jessie, and I)

View into the crater. It is tradition to throw an offering into the crater. 

View looking down at the climb and all the people coming up.

At this point, it was still only 8am so we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and a little rest before starting the drive back to the airport again. At 6pm on Sunday, we finally made it back to the Jakarta airport. If you ever make it to Indonesia, I would  definitely recommend putting Mt. Bromo on your list of things to see.