Bemos, Ferries, Buses and Cigarettes
Trip Start
Mar 26, 2009
1
41
58
Trip End
Jul 18, 2011
Where I stayed
Bemos, Ferries, Buses and Cigarettes
Poncokusumo, East Java, Indonesia
Friday, January 21, 2011
After a super quick breakfast we got the local bemo bus, that is the very local bus and ships the Balinese all over the island by in short a man in a rascal van. We managed to share ours with a load of school kids who spent most of the trip looking at us, a couple of old men who provided the conversation and a women who had 3 of the most enormous bags of potatoes stuffed in with her it begged to believe that she had gone for them herself. We travelled for about 1.30 hours all along the coast line to where the ferry left in the far west. When we arrived we were the last ones on the bus and were dropped off pretty much in the port, not bad for about 50p for the two.
The island of Java would not be a far trip, on the map it had seemed really close but when we boarded the ferry i was surprised to find out that we could actually see it. I think that i was even more surprised that there were not a few more entrepreneurs offering a fleet of wooden rowing boats across as well for a discounted price, that should be one for the suggestion box with the hawkers. The trip lasted about 20 mins, enough time to get some food and have a quick look around the ferry to see if there were any other backpackers who would be heading in our direction. We were in luck and we didnt even have to ask, as an Italian girl approached us and asked us the same thing. We joined forces with her and her boyfriend, a guy from London and another English couple who sounded as though they could have been from Leeds. As we docked the inevitable hawkers surrounded us and the haggling began, using our now super force of six to get to our destination which had been decided on the boat of Volcano Bromo. There was a small problem as no one actually knew how long we would take to get there and so how much we should pay compared to the local bus, especially as it was obvious that it would be dirt cheap. We managed to get a decent price for about 5 pounds a head after an intense haggle off, just as we were all finally ploughing in the back of his van the northern couple got cold feet and bailed claiming that they would get the train the next day for a cheaper price. Although it was annoying, i was glad as they were doing my head in, i think they had clearly been expecting a more costa del sol feel to indonesia when they came here and their shouting sunburnt faces trying to drop the price to mere pence as they pointed wildly at the lonely planet with fat fingers had made me start to dread the impending journey of stories of mosquito bites and lack of good old english grub. So now we were four and the deal we had made seemed to be off. We could be bothered to start the whole rigmarole again so we decided to chance it and get the local bus instead.
Mohammid and Valentina were our new travelling buddies and we seemed all to be on the same wave length, They too were doing a long trip around south east asia and were as open as they some to everything that get thrown at you on the way. As we got to the station we all managed to get on the first local bus out of there with some guy in a leather jacket selling the ticket, i swear people must be lizards out here to not even break a sweat in this heat. The bus ride was a long one, his claims off express service were soon smashed as we began to stop at every village on the way that we passed through with people getting on and off. Along with the usual traffic of hawkers who swamp the bus every time it even slows down pushing all sorts of food and drinks under your nose we had a ploom of smoke clinging to the roof as smoking on the bus is very much allowed, almost encouraged as the little thin sweet indonsian fags are very much a national sport... at least it masked the smell of too many people in a confined place.
We finally arrived at the town of Poncokusumo; which services the tourist trade for the volcano, it was a little bit none de script and very much a feeding town for the trips, definetly not worth staying there for anything else. It was humid, busy and had that familiar smell in the air of stagnant sewers, which always makes it fun when you are looking for a hostel with 20 kg on your back. Eventually after looking at a few run down places we found somewhere suitable for the night, now we just had to find a guide for the volcano the next day.
The hotels usually have a contact who will come along to sell you a tour and here was no exception. The guide arrived and laid down the deal, of taking us up there for the sunrise with breakfast but with feeling a little stung on the last time we did it we were a little reluctant especially as Bromo could not even be climbed at the minute due to it erupting so we would have to take a different vantage point. He would not budge on his price which seemed to much so we ended up leaving it. So with no guide for the morning and midnight closing in we dashed out to get some food in the only place that was left open and hit the hay unsure of what we were going to do in this no mans land without a trip the following day. Keeps it interesting at least i suppose.
