Back breaker
Trip Start
Apr 16, 2008
1
38
55
Trip End
Apr 15, 2009
Kawah Ijen, Indonesia
Friday, August 29, 2008
I heard about this place only from fellow travellers (almost always French as it was shown in a French documentary) and decided to make a visit along with seeing Bromo.
Halfway up the 2hr climb to the cratar rim we met our first miner. He was on his way down with his load and after posing for some photos and showing his scarred shoulders (he´s well used to the attention) he prompted the willing photographers for some sweets and cigarettes. Seeing is usually believing but it was still hard to believe that this guys was carrying a load of 80kg of sulphur on his bamboo suspended baskets. As he cantered off down the mountain the squeeking bamboo bar told of some of the strain he was under.
We continued on up the track, past a miner encampment surrounded by loaded baskets and up to the rim. It is an amazing view from the top as you are above the clouds and you feel on top of the world. The cratar is really huge and the trek down the path to the lake and the sulphur vent takes a good 30mins. We passed many struggling up with their loads and I have to admit I felt pretty bad. Not only was I a wealthy tourist (these guys earn about $5 a day for two loads) but perhaps I was making their job even more difficult by getting in their way. So I decided not to get too close but some others were not so tactful.
Apart from the workers the view was amazing with the yellow sulphur contrasting the turquoise cratar lake. We circled part of the rim and enjoyed a break in the sun before starting our trek back to the minibus and our ticket to Bali.
