After staying in dirty, noisy and overcrowded cities for more than two weeks, sweating unceasingly and depressing between grey, lifeless concrete buildings, we definitely needed a change. A decision was quickly made: we would go east, to where a handful of volcanos dominate the relief of Java. Positively excited — for as most of you might know, I adore those peculiar mountains — we left Yogyakarta by night bus and found ourselves in a completely different surrounding by the next morning. The volcano itself was only one of the positive surprises which made the destination more than worthwhile.
A narrow and steep road twists up into the mountains, through green fields and tiny villages; up and always further up while the air entering through the windows of the minibus increasingly cools down. Looking behind us, we can see the clouds under our level; above us, the sun shines from a deep blue sky, yet its heat is weaker than it was over the lower plains of Java. The farmers outside wear a thick poncho over their usual clothes to protect themselves from the cold. At last, the vehicle stops at the very top of the mountain: we just arrived in Cemoro Lawang, the village next to Mount Bromo, one of Java’s famous volcanos.
As I get off the bus, the chilly fresh air makes me shiver — but ahhh! What a liberating sensation to fill my lungs with this clean, crisp air! After too many days in dusty and polluted cities, this deep breath feels like being reborn.
We find a small but tidy room in a homestay where we plan to settle down for a few nights, and open our backpacks, digging for our warm clothes at their very bottom. We have not used them since Namibia, and yet we carry them with us every day. For a change, we put on our thick socks (the flip flops deserve a break at long last), warm pullovers and — in my case — a comfy scarf. For once, we do not need to hide our biscuits and chocolates from the ants, nor protect ourselves from mosquitos: the cold does not attract those insects. To put in a nutshell, we really enjoy this break from the usual annoyances.
Later that day, we set out to discover the village: the tiny but well-built houses spread over the hill, and only a few streets connect the main buildings. Dogs bark, horses bring farmers to their fields and children play in the vegetable plots. Thanks to the ashes of the nearby volcano, the earth teems with fertility. As we take a stroll on a narrow path, we quickly get lost between fields of salad, spring onion and cabbage. But we do not care: we enjoy walking in the nature again and feeling the serenity of the place; undoubtedly, one of the trails will bring us back to the village.
For dinner, we eat in a small but very nice warung (a simple restaurant): the delicious, homemade soto ayam (chicken noodle soup) with fresh herbs constitutes a very welcome alternative to the unspectacular nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) we ate all over the country. The wedang jahe (hot ginger) José orders for his sore throat warms up the whole body — who would have imagined only a few hours earlier, down in the tropical plains of Java, that we would actually fancy a cup of hot tea?
The day did not end with this wonderful meal — I daresay the best of all was yet to come: the hot shower in the evening triumphs over everything mentioned above. Such a simple, everyday act to which I hardly gave a second thought during my sedentary life becomes an incredible blessing after weeks of cold showers… I had never stayed this long under the wonderfully warm stream, taking in every second of the relaxation. After the shower, I crawl into my fluffy sleeping bag and enjoy the fact that, for once, I will not have to sweat the whole night long.
After this wonderful and refreshingly different first day in Cemoro Lawang, which allowed us to gather new energy, we were ready and eager to explore the highlight of the region: Mount Bromo.
