It's definitely active - Mount Bromo

I actually slept pretty well, once I put on all layers of clothing as it was soooo sooo cold, and felt OK for the 3am wakeup. We rolled out of bed and headed out to begin our hike to sunrise over Bromo at the top of Pananjakan. We were expecting crowds of people but actually it was baron... At first we thought maybe we are going the wrong way or don't know something, but actually it seems everyone does it through a tour and gets a jeep everywhere. Very pointless in my opinion. Unlike Ijen this volcano is easily done without a tour if you like to hike. It only took us 1 hr 30 mins to get to the sunrise point, through pretty narrow and overgrown forest tracks. It was a bit busy at the top but not too bad and we saw a beautiful ruby red sunrise this time. It got super super cold on the top, for the first time in months we are both wearing all our thermals and down jacket. This is now our 2nd volcano sunrise and its is just epic. Watching the darkness reveal these monstrous beasts is just other worldly. So so beautiful. On the way down we met a lovely older couple who had been travelling for 9 months so far and thinking they will go for another 9 months or so. They were so inspiring and have done India, Nepal and Myanmar which are on our bucket list too, so they gave us plenty of tips. They even gave us a lift from the car park to to the town which was super sweet and saved us about an hour walking.

Next stop to actually go up Mount Bromo and see the crater. There was a very very high price to get into the volcano area but as usual maps.me and various blogs can always help you get around it. So we took the "villagers track" down to the "sea of sand" and were able to save 600,000 Rp. As we had visited Mount Ijen just a couple of days ago we didn't really know what to expect but wow. This volcano us truly active and you can really see it, even more than Ijen. Within the crater there is just constant clouds of sulphur and although its impressive to see, its actually the noise of the gas bubbling away that is truly spectacular and quite scary. We met some local kids who wanted to take us around Sumatra, unfortunately we don't have time, but they insisted on us taking their WhatsApp number for if we come back which was so lovely. Then we walked around the edge of the volcano and met a guy from Belarus. Walking along the steep and narrow crater with it bubbling away below is actually quite scary! I walked just under halfway and got quite scared so I headed back while the guys walked round. So here I am just updating the blog while I sit at the top of an incredibly, loud, active and monstrous volcano. I can't believe how lucky we are to be able to experience such incredible things and have the true time to enjoy them. 😊🌋

As I didn't walk the whole way round I've decided to mix it up for the blog and have a guest writer. So here he is... Presented by Willy P...

Leaving Shahna to head back to the stairs leading to the crater rim, I, along with my new friend and exploring companion Jeynya, pressed on to attempt the circuit of the crater. Maps.me indicated a trail the whole way around and thus far the walk had been very straightforward. As we walked the sulphur cloud rose up the sides of the crater only to to be blown away by the wind as it reached the crater rim, giving a mesmerising and enchanting display. The path continued straightforwardly along, with only a short steeper section punctuating our walk. By now we were almost half way round and Shahna and the other tourists were obscured by the sulphur cloud. We saw what looked like a path descending into the crater and decided to follow it. I use the term path loosely here, as it was really nothing more than enticing trail of dried mud, whichever flaked away disconcertingly under foot. Having got a little close to the crater, we ascended back to the main path and climbed a very steep slope up to the highest point on the crater rim. From here we enjoyed the majestic views - to our left a second, flat crater (perhaps a caldera), ahead to gunung semuru and the barren, Mars-like ridges of previous eruptions and to the right the smoking, screaming Bromo crater. Photos duly taken we set off around the other half of the crater. At this point things started to get a little hairy. What had been a fairly straight forward ridge walk turned into a narrow track no wider than a single shoe width. To our right a near vertical drop into the boiling, sulphurous pit of Sarlak, to our left a near vertical drop into volcanic rocks and Ash. One slip could be fatal. Jeynya and I exchanged a glance which clearly communicated "what the hell are we doing here", and yet we pressed on all the same. Inching forward, barely containing the shakes in our legs, we made it across the narrowest part. "This will have been fun, once we're safe" he said. I couldn't agree more. Now the ridge was too thin to walk along, so the path dropped to the side of the ridge, switching from one side to another, forcing us to climb over the rim and switch sides periodically. At one point I was leaning on the ridge for support when a great handful of dirt gave way, scattering the mountainside with the dust and leaving me with heart in mouth. All the while, burning drops of sulphuric acid flew from the crater and splattered us. We made our way forward, stopping periodically to catch our breath and take awesome photos. Finally we reach the stairs and waiting there for us is Shahna. What a relief! Jeynya and I exchange a high five and celebrate still being alive.

Ah well hope you enjoyed an extract from our guest writer!

It took them about an hour to get around the vreaters edge and to be honest I was pretty glad i didn't go after watching them struggle on the way round and being suffocated by the sulphur cloud. When they finally made it back I was so happy and we headed back down the stairs, through the sea of sand and then up the torturous never-ending winding steep mud track to the town. On the way back to our homestay we found a man selling Bakso Ayam out of his scooter. Having had only a couple of biscuits all day we happily scoffed down some Bakso before heading back for a shower, rest and accidental 2 hour nap! Wups it was pitch black by the time we got up and out again so headed for dinner at a little warung called Sedia Masakan Khas Tenger and it was super super tasty! We both ordered Soto Ayam and a hot chocolate and were not disappointed!! We sat and chatted with some other fellow travellers. I love how easy it is to meet people. Everyone is in the same boat and always willing to share tips and experiences. I'm going to miss constantly meeting new people! Then we headed home for our last night sleep in Cemoro Lawang.

Having had about 9 hours sleep we woke up pretty early to beautiful clear blue skies. We headed back to the same warung for Nasi Pecel and wow I think it's one of my favourite things we've tried! As it was such a beautiful morning we headed to a viewpoint in in the town overlooking the monstorous Bromo and read our books before heading back to the homestay to catch our 7hr journey bus ride to Surakarta aka Solo.Read more