Lakshmi Sharath |
| At the crater of Mount Bromo in Indonesia – a photofeature Posted: 10 Feb 2016 04:09 AM PST At the crater of Mount Bromo in Indonesia – a photo feature My earliest memory of seeing a volcano in Indonesia was about 20 years ago. I was in Bali and a guide pointed me to a mountain in the distant horizon billowing smoke in all directions. Little did I know that two decades later, I would actually be climbing up an active volcano to see the crater filled with smoke and sulphur, It is not every day that one wakes up at 2 am in the bitter cold, scales a hillock in the darkness to see the sun rise behind a volcano. As we stepped out of our hotel, tightly wrapped in our jackets, a cold breeze got us shivering. Our destination was Mount Bromo, the volcano in East Java named after the Hindu God Brahma. A line of jeeps waited for us as we were packed into them as sardines. Soon we stopped and it seemed to be like we were in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by jeeps, bikes and a sea of humanity, we climbed what seemed like a hillock. Huffing and puffing away and interrupted by bikers who were willing to drop us at the summit, I realized we were barely a couple of kilometres although it felt like miles. Our first destination was the view point at Mount Penanjakan to see the sunrise. As we waited with bated breath, all we could see was a carpet of mist. The sun did show up but it was soon engulfed by a thin dreamy white cover. However the experience did not end there. Driving through the Bromo Tengger Sumeru National Park in the wee hours of the morning, we stopped to see a dreamy landscape. The mist was just clearing as the mountain stood bathed in the hues of dawn . The journey took us through the Sea of Sand to the base of the crater. A temple stood in the midst of the sands. Horses kicked up the dust as they took us to the base of the mountain. And then I climbed 200 steps to reach the top of the crater – a huge gaping hole in mother earth as the sulphur filled the landscape. It was surreal and scary. Looking around I just saw sands and the temple in the middle. I sat there for a moment and wondered how this tourist destination could turn any moment into a violent destructive force. A photofeature of vignettes at the crater of Mount Bromo in Indonesia  The mountains emerging from the mist  WE may have missed the sunrise but this is the view enroute to the Sea of Sands  A close up of the crater- helps to carry a zoom lens  Now we are at the foot of the mountains  Horses take you up the crater, not an optio many prefer  I took a horse up to the foot of the crater where a flight of 200 steps greet me  Vendors make for a pretty picture  The colours are so striking that I keep postponing the climb up and focus instead n the people  I meet this colourful family who pose rather reluctantly  A closer look at the landscape  This is not Mt Bromo but it is omnipresent here  The sea of sands – you feel like you are in a desert  The view from the top  Capturing the viiew  And the view at the top finally More stories on Indonesia Why Indonesia should be on your bucketlist Five cultural shows you must not miss
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