Cooling off in Batu & Bromo

Another train ride, this time to Surabaya where our little tour by taxi starts. First stop is Batu: its altitude, cooler climate, many theme parks a perfect getaway destination for the locals. We timed well to visit the enormous zoo including entertainment park together with all the locals whose school holidays just happened to start the day before. Well, still lots of fun and some well needed relaxation before the next challenge.

And what a challenge it was. Being ready at 2am to enter the jeep going up all these hairpin curves, climbing a steep hill in the darkness (which was totally unnecessary… in hindsight), waiting in the cold (temperatures dropped to 10 degrees C) for probably the slowest sunrise ever. It seemed a bit too much for the kids: Poor Yuna fell asleep during moment supreme after screaming and crying. Milo almost fell asleep but the annoying drones from fellow tourists fascinated him and kept him awake.

Once the sun is up, it is a matter of getting to the jeep quickly to go to the foot of the volcano and to avoid getting stuck in traffic amongst hundreds of other jeeps and motors. And then up to the rim of the crater through a sea of clouds and moon landscape, while also being interviewed by French television TV2. Kids did great this part so in the end worth the experience!Read more