Day 4/Fri 06 April – Mt Bromo

I hardly had a wink of sleep in Hotel Bromo Cottage as we had to begin our journey to Mt. Bromo before 4.00am. After a cup of hot tea, we travelled in two 4WD vehicles to Mt. Penanjakan and to View Point 1 to watch the sunrise. But when we reached the destination, the sun had already risen well above the mountains. However, the vista at the viewing point was indeed spectacular. From here in Tengger Caldera, the Sea of Sands stretched as far as the eyes could see. Also within the ancient caldera we could see Mt. Bromo, Mt. Batok and Mt. Semeru.

Mt. Bromo, about 2,400 meters high,  lies in Bromo-Tengger-Semeru Natonal Park and is one of the most famous and beautiful volcanoes in Indonesia. Mt Bromo is one of the two volcanoes that were created following a massive eruption which created an enormous caldera where the active Mt. Bromo and the non-active Mt. Batok are located. The last eruption of Mt Bromo was in 2004 when two tourists were killed.

From the view deck in Mt. Penanjakan, the 4WD vehicles took us to the park in the Sea Sands where we hired a pony each to take us to the foot of Mt. Bromo. From here we had to climb a steep 250-step path to the crater from which we could view the volcano.

Not all of us went up the steps, particularly the ladies as they had aches in their legs/feet after the trek to Ijen Crater. 

After watching the spectacular view surrounding Mt. Bromo, we returned to Hotel Bromo Cottages for breakfast. We left for Surabaya City and along the way we picked up Onn and Wan Ying. After dropping off Onn at Jaunda Airport Surabaya we continued our trip to Batu Highland City. Finally, we checked into Pohon Inn Hotel at Jatim Park 2 after a long and tedious road journey.

After checking in, the rest of the group left the hotel to visit the nearby Batu Secret Zoo and The Animal Museum. But I stayed back because I wanted to take a nap as I hardly had a wink for more than 36 hours!  I also wanted to explore the Pohon Inn Hotel as I was fascinated by the uniqueness of its construction.

Day 5/Sat 07 Apr - Unique Pohon Inn Hotel in Batu City & back to Surabaya

This hotel is at the same area with Jatim Park 2, a big zoo. The hotel is nice and clean. It is quite unique. It makes one feel as if one is staying inside a huge tree. The restaurant is also designed with a jungle environment with animal cages placed side by side with the restaurant so while one is taking his/her breakfast one can see the animals directly from one’s table.

Zoo in the dining room

View of Batu city from the hotel

On our way to Surabaya, we visited the Kusuma Agro Wisata Apple Plantation where we could pluck the apples from the trees and eat all we can.

In Surabaya we went for a shopping spree in two factory outlets, one for leather goods and the other at Reebok. All of us bought quite a lot in these outlets.

Eat all you can & take home at only Rp10,000.00 (RM3.5) per Kg

Day 6/Sun 08 Apr – Fight from Juanda Airport Surabaya to LCCT

C. Epilogue

This is my first visit to East Java. The only attractions that I admired most were the Ijen and Mt Bromo Craters. I was also fascinated by the unique construction of Pohon Inn Hotel.

I seldom do any purchase of personal items in most of my travels. However, in Surabaya I could not hold back and in two factory outlets, I bought a rain jacket, a leather wallet, a leather sling bag, a pair of golf outfit (shorts and T-shirt) and a pair of walking shoes. I bought these items because they were not fakes but cheap. I also needed to replace the ones that I was using, some of which I did on the spot! Not me alone, all the rest did the same!

The bad experience in this trip is the road journey travelling from one destination to the next. The trouble started from Surabaya to Banyuwangi, a distance of about 280km, but we were on the road for more than 10 hours! The worse journey was from Ijen Crater to Mt Bromo Tosari Area, less than 100km, which took more than 15 hours! In my opinion the main reasons are: 1.The roads are all single-lane each way and there are too many vehicles on the road especially, bikes, trucks and buses; 2.  There is only one way to go from A to B, no bypass or alternative route; and 3. Like in Malaysia, when the road is congested, some drivers would overtake from the left and form another lane. But when reaching a narrow passage, like crossing a single-lane bridge, traffic would come to a standstill or at best move at a snail’s pace.

To avoid the delay on the road, my advice is taking a local flight if available. Also try to avoid travelling on the road during public holidays or weekends.

                                                                            END                                                                              E&OE

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