EXPLORING THE CRATER OF BROMO AND ITS SURROUNDING - PART TWO

   26th JULY 2025    ~ The next adventure was getting a closer view of the crater of Bromo. To do that, the jeeps took us to a place where the horses and the owners were already waiting for us. You had to ride the horse that would take you to the foot of the hill. From there, you needed to climb up a flight of stairs to get to the top and sneak a peek at the crate of the volcano.

If you did not want to ride the horse, then you had to walk quite a distance under the hot scorching sun. One had to pay IDR300K for one horse. 

There were too many people with the same mission there, it looked as if we were going on a pilgrimage. Consequently, to use the public toilet had become a challenge as the queue was long and the stalls were just a few.

Again, Puan Suhaila and I did not join the other group members in their adventure. However, we were happy to be seated under the umbrella at one of the stalls, eating Chicken Satay and Steamed Ground Nuts while waiting for them to come back.

The gastronomic adventure continued when everyone was back, and I had Bakso this time.

That was just one part of the expedition and we had to stop at two more stations after this.

[MY SURABAYA TRIP MAIN PAGE]

MY VERY FIRST REAL LIFE EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE IN MEDAN

31st January 2017 ~ So what was the most significant moment that I encountered during my Medan trip? Definitely my real life encounter with a brief earthquake in Berastagi. It was about 10:00 p.m. and the three of us were happily chatting in the hotel room, sharing some ghost stories. (We boys didn't gossip, you see.) Suddenly, I heard/felt these clattering sounds, and I was looking at Mr. Irham, who was sitting beside me on the sofa, and he was looking at me, big-eyed. And we just ran out of the room for our lives, and comically, Mr. Azry who was on the bed could not really understand what was happening to us but he followed suit a few seconds after. (I had been discussing with Irham about my worry of the earthquake thingy even before arriving in Medan which was struck with a massive 5.9 Richter scale quake 2 weeks before).

We were the first to be out of the hotel building and after that, other occupants started to vacate their rooms. The shaking lasted only for about 4-5 seconds, and we waited and waited outside for more tremors but (THANK GOD) there were none. After about 5 minutes, we went back into our room. However, we were more prepared this time and we put all the important documents in our bags near the door, so we could grab them in case of emergency. I asked them not to put the door latch so we could save more time if we had to make an escape later.

Alhamdulillah, thank you Allah, there were no aftershocks after that and we all slept (like logs) and if there were any tremors, I might not be able to feel them.

That was my first ever real life experience, and I really hope I will not have to go through the same horrifying moment again. 

[MY MEDAN TRIP MAIN PAGE]

VISITING MERAPI WHILE SHE WAS STILL SLEEPING

The trip up Merapi Volcano consisted of three stops.

(1) THE ALIEN ROCK

I am not sure why this big chunk of stone is called Alien Rock. This is the stone that was spewed out when Merapi erupted. If you position yourself in front of the sharp edge, you could see some sort of the face shape of a human skull.

The weather was not that good. It started to rain and we had to run for shelter, and the only shelter available was the jeep. Despite the rain, the journey must go on.

(2) THE BUNKER

The bunker was significant when two volunteers were found dead in it during the 2006 eruption. Just imagine, when you have nowhere to go and you know that death is coming. The place was damp, dark and eerie 

(3) THE VOLCANO

People were here to admire to admire the majestic Merapi, when she was calmly sleeping. The opposite side was the beautiful view of Jogjakarta from afar. Surprisingly, the rain had stopped and the sky had turned blue. However, the summit of the volcano was still hidden in the thick clouds. 

This "valley" was the path of the moving lava during the eruption. There were actually people down there, filling lorries with the soil and stones of the volcano for commercial purposes.

The volcano is still active. Unlike "Kawah Putih" and "Tangkuban Perahu" in Bandung, which are also volcanic sites, there was no smell of sulphur at all in the air. 

[Read about my visit to KAWAH PUTIH and TANGKUBAN PARAHU]

Let us just pray Merapi will be in a deep slumber for many more years to come.

[MY JOGJA TRIP MAIN PAGE]

THE REAL-LIFE MINI MUSEUM AT MERAPI

8th February 2016 ~ The second day in Jogjakarta was the time we went to Merapi Volcano. We had to take a very adventerous jeep ride, but that will be featured in another blog post. For now, let me just focus on the mini museum on Merapi called "Muzium Sisa Hartaku" [translate: the leftover of my treasure]. The ground was grey as that was the actual ash from the volcano.

This mini museum is to commemorate the event when Merapi erupted back in November 2010. People could see the aftermath of the natural disaster which was a terrifying sight. Almost everything was burnt, melted and covered in volcanic ashes. I just could not imagine the horrifying moment the people had to go through, running away from the angry mountain while the sky was heavily covered filled with hot dust and poisonous gases. 

See more photos of the devastating effects of the Merapi eruption IN 2010 HERE.

The owner of the house which has been turned into the mini museum now operates the shops opposite the building.

I am thankful for the life I live as I do not have to suffer what these people experienced five years ago. Let's pray that the volcano will sleep for many more years to come.

[MY JOGJA TRIP MAIN PAGE]