MT BROMO pt 3
ACROSS THE CALDERA AND UP THE VOLCANO
While waiting for the German couple, we had hot chocolate by a little
fire some guides had got going in the bushes.
The jeeps then take you back down the mountain and across the black
desert to visit the volcano, where you can choose to walk or take a horse. Either way, you will still have to walk the
256 steps to the lip of the crater to peer in.
Once again the view from here was superb.
I probably should know better but thought 'what the hell?!', you can opt to go by horseback across the black desert and having absolutely no idea how to ride one, decided now, up a volcano, would be a great time to start! hmmm....
The bloody thing reared up on it's back legs and threw me off as we crossed down into a gully, the poor guy leading it, who only weighed about 50 kg took a catch Mark Waugh would have been proud of! He caught me mid air and somehow shoved me back on this beast, i was still unsure i wanted to be on the fucken thing.
I have crashed a dirtbike in Cambodia, a scooter in Thailand, and now i've gone and crashed a bloody horse in Indonesia!! Will
I learn anything? Probably not.
Peering into my first volcano I was surprised, almost disappointed, not exactly what I was expecting but it mattered not, this journey to Mt Bromo was the stuff of dreams, and to be honest, just the ride getting there from Tumpang was nearly the highlight, it was that good.
We covered scenery and parts of the valley you wouldn't see otherwise and if you visit I highly recommend going in that way. We left via public bus through Probolinggo and although the scenery there was spectacular, getting to see both routes is definitely the way to go.
The public bus was a little scary, over filled and tearing along at breackneck speed through winding mountain roads with no room for error. I had a 'seat' if you will, that was more like those little foot stools at the shoe shop, only about 10cm by 30cm, wedged up against the door,my knees around my ears. But I got chatting to a fellow traveller, an older guy who gave me some great leads in the Philippines and East Timor and before I knew it we were there.
I probably should know better but thought 'what the hell?!', you can opt to go by horseback across the black desert and having absolutely no idea how to ride one, decided now, up a volcano, would be a great time to start! hmmm....
The bloody thing reared up on it's back legs and threw me off as we crossed down into a gully, the poor guy leading it, who only weighed about 50 kg took a catch Mark Waugh would have been proud of! He caught me mid air and somehow shoved me back on this beast, i was still unsure i wanted to be on the fucken thing.
I have crashed a dirtbike in Cambodia, a scooter in Thailand, and now i've gone and crashed a bloody horse in Indonesia!! Will
I learn anything? Probably not.
Peering into my first volcano I was surprised, almost disappointed, not exactly what I was expecting but it mattered not, this journey to Mt Bromo was the stuff of dreams, and to be honest, just the ride getting there from Tumpang was nearly the highlight, it was that good.
We covered scenery and parts of the valley you wouldn't see otherwise and if you visit I highly recommend going in that way. We left via public bus through Probolinggo and although the scenery there was spectacular, getting to see both routes is definitely the way to go.
The public bus was a little scary, over filled and tearing along at breackneck speed through winding mountain roads with no room for error. I had a 'seat' if you will, that was more like those little foot stools at the shoe shop, only about 10cm by 30cm, wedged up against the door,my knees around my ears. But I got chatting to a fellow traveller, an older guy who gave me some great leads in the Philippines and East Timor and before I knew it we were there.
Horse riding across the black desert
