Cycling The Globe

The Bromo volcano is a popular tourist attraction, or at least it used to be before it started erupting. I knew the volcano was more active than it used to be, but as we have no volcanoes in my country I didn’t really know what this was supposed to mean.

You can drive almost all the way to the top of Bromo, either by bus or by motor bike. The bus would be cheaper, but it only leaves when full. After waiting for an hour I opted for the motor bike. Already before reaching the village near the crater, the dust cloud was making it harder to breath. The scooter driver left me next to the crater and quickly descended into the clear air again.

The landscape looked more like a place on the moon than on earth. Everything was covered in a thick layer of gray dust. The were no other tourists and only a few local people around. I asked if it would be a good idea to have a closer look at the crater. As I didn’t get a clear answer I decided to go ahead. That was when the wind direction changed, and I was soon finding myself pretty much in the center of the ash cloud.

It was now getting uncomfortable to breath. Luckily I was not left completely alone. A guy on a horse came over to me and asked if I needed a ride. I decided that I might as well walk back the same way I had come. The air soon cleared again.

On the way back I found a mini bus – far more pleasant than the motor cycle ride. Once back in town I met with Reza, my Couchsurfing host. After showing him the pictures he said he had never seen so much dust on top of Bromo. Quite the adventure.