Survived Gunung Ijen

I'm looking for our next hotel in Banyuwangi, love the name, on the eastern most coast of Java.  We're here in Jember, just down from Bondowoso (another pretty good one), where we climbed up to view the crater (caldera) atop Gunung Ijen.  Yep, it was at status level 2 according to the sign at the trail head and I had to sign a waver "this idiot insists on climbing when this baby could burp sulfuric acid at any moment".

don't try this at home

The 2 and half hour car ride at 5AM was enough excitement, and the climb had beautiful views of other volcanoes in the distance.  Some parts of the 4 to 6 foot wide trail were a bit steep and the gravel, when dry, wants to roll away under your shoes.  But after an hour and half trudging, against the flow of a few sulfur miners carrying hundred pound baskets full of cakes of sulfur from inside the caldera, we reached the summit.  When the volcano burps a big one it leaves a layer of molten sulfur on the interior of the caldera and these guys go down there and break off hunks about a foot across and 3 or 4 inches thick, put it in baskets joined by bamboo slats across their shoulders and carry this stuff down what takes us one and a half hours.  They stop at a weigh station along the way, where the price is determined, dirty stuff is worth less (I overheard the discussion), and head down the rest of the way, some in rubber boots, others in flip-flops, and some barefoot.  This has been going on since colonial days.  I have no idea who is buying the stuff from these guys.  Some folks sell small molded trinkets from molten sulfur.  We bought a cute little turtle.  

Since we had a level 2 status they're (the sulfur miners) not allowed in the caldera but they can take down what they've already retrieved and and left along the trail.  I had read the night before that the latest status was level 3, stay 1.0 Km from the caldera, whereas level 2 means 1.5 Km away.  Well at the top looking down into the jaws of death we're maybe 300 yards.  Just awesome!

wow!

Holik, Pat's new man