Central & East Java Trip - Day 7

--1st Stop: Kawah Ijen--
It was another early day. Gotta wake up at 3am for our hike to Kawah Ijen. The journey to the lake was about 1.5 hours, and the agency had arranged 4-wheel jeeps for us. The jeep was better than the one we had at Mount Bromo. So overall, the journey to Ijen was quite a comfortable one. 

We were there quite early, but there were already grps of tourists who went up to the lake for sunrise. We ate our packed breakfast provided by the hotel. I only ate the bread as I disliked hard boiled eggs. The temp was rather cold and I was shivering while eating my breakfast~~

Time check: 6.30a.m. This was the starting point of our 3km hike - Pos Paltuding. The hike is actually not that difficult, but the journey covered very steep slopes and that was about half of the journey? So it was pretty tiring la.

Kawah Ijen is famous for sulphur mining, and you cld see sulphur miners carrying n kg of Sulphur along the way. It's really a super tough job. Imagine they gotta walk 6km to and fro, carrying super heavy sulphur on their shoulders, and they gotta work in harsh conditions (smelling of sulphur smoke, which is poisonous). I really gotta salute to them.

We were hiking in the mist. The scenery was simply stunning! The wind was quite strong up in the mountains, and you cld hear the sound of the wind, and saw how fast the mist moved.
Ah Ching's stamina is always on the poor side, so the hike was not that easy for me. However, Tuan was the total opposite. Her stamina is better than mine since young, and now she got so much "training" in Shanghai. So, the hike was simply nothing to her la. In fact, she has to wait for us to climb up slowly lo! Haha! 

Stunning view of the volcanoes nearby.

After hiking for n hours, we were getting close to Kawah Ijen!

Tada! Kawah Ijen was just a few more metres away~!

 

I think Ijen was much more stunning than Bromo's crater.

Lots of sulphur smoke coming out from the crater area. This was where the miners worked too.

The crater lake. The turquoise colour looked stunning right? But you know how acidic the lake water was?

There were lots of burnt tree trunks along the way. I am not sure when did Ijen volcano last erupted. Anyway, the burnt tree trunks were in all sorts of shapes, and they looked artistic somehow.

Time to walk back to Pos Paltuding. Another long long journey~~ I just loved the scenery. They made this hike worthwhile.
At 10a.m., we completed our hike!
--2nd Stop: Lunch--
Returned to Ketapang Indah, and checked out our rooms. Had lunch at a nearby restaurant, which was considered quite posh ard the area. However, their food was nowhere near "posh". I thought my simple lunch elsewhere fared better than what you see below.

KH's green curry duck...correct me if I'm wrong.

Aunt Jo's chicken...forgot it was BBQ or with some other sauce.

I regretted ordering this hot plate chicken. Damn pathetic right? I shld have ordered the curry duck or something else! Haiz~~~Only the pepper sauce was nice.
--3rd Stop: Inna Simpang Hotel, Surabaya--
It was a 8 hours ride from Banyuwangi to Surabaya. I didn't know it was that long! I sort of regret my decision to go Surabaya to catch our flight back home. Bali was actually the better option, as it was just an hr away via ferry! But well, we thought it wld be a waste to go Bali and return home without staying there for a day or two. Haiz....I think I can even do a half day trip in Bali, instead of wasting 8 precious hours in the van.

Pic was taken at nearly 9p.m. I was not confident of my choice to stay at Inna Simpang, as the review for this hotel was not gd. The hotel was old, but the rooms were surprisingly nicely kept and clean. Beds were comfortable, and it was a pleasant surprise for me. Haha!
--4th Stop: Dinner @ Tunjungan Plaza--
The reason why I chose Inna Simpang is because it was very close to the largest mall in Surabaya. We had a late dinner at A&W, and I haven't have that for ages! There are so many A&W in Java la.

The 2 piece chicken meal was simply delicious, and the root beer was good.

KH's chicken wrap.
I had not seen many Chinese from Yogyakarta to Banyuwangi, so it was a refreshing sight to see so many people looking similar like us in Surabaya. But well, they speak in Bahasa Indonesia la...haha!