The morning the navy-blue world was invaded by orange, and the day I walked the Mad Max desert.
1:30 AM, wake up
Good morning. I woke up at 1:30 today. First, I took a shower to fix my hair. I quickly got ready and we decided to go to Mount Bromo. I said 'Good morning' to the others and climbed into the van.
Herry played high-energy music as we raced up the mountain. Everyone else still looked sleepy from just waking up, but I was super excited and looking forward to it. Getting up at 1:30 and leaving at 2:00 — doesn't that sound like an unbelievable adventure? I couldn't help feeling thrilled.
A swarm of Jeeps heading for the mountain
We arrived at a point partway up Mount Bromo and switched to Jeeps. Jeeps were everywhere, and lots of adventurers (I don't think the people who come here are ordinary tourists) piled into the same Jeeps to head for the mountain. There were probably as many as 500 of them. We split into two teams and four of us rode a buggy up to the summit.
We kept at it, hoping no traffic jam would form. The road kept getting narrower as we went. As we neared the summit, buggies were parked on both sides, making the path even tighter. But they persevered and parked us near the top.
We walked to the checkpoint. When we arrived, the other tour members were chatting. We were the last group to arrive. We had some snack cookies and hot tea and relaxed a bit.
It was only 3:00. We'd been in the Jeep for nearly an hour. The buggy ride was truly adventurous—there was violent side-to-side rocking and the mountain roads were all twisty. It felt like arriving in the middle of a movie, my body being tossed around dramatically.
Two hours waiting for sunrise
We walked to Bromo's scenic viewpoint. Even though it was still 3:00, Samu and I sat and waited to see the sunrise. Since sunrise was around 5:00, we ate crackers that Samu had brought. Cookies from Italians are delicious, apparently (laughs).
We had someone take our photo, but it was still dark. The stars, however, were incredibly beautiful — it had been a long time since I'd seen a sky like that. The place was packed; everyone was jostling to claim the best view.
It gradually brightened, and we could immediately tell where the sun would rise. Orange light emerged from the horizon, and looking to the right I could see many mountain summits. Yes, we were pretty high up.
There was mist over the mountains and clouds in view. I thought this was probably the first time in my life I'd seen such a beautiful scene — it was truly moving.
Orange invades the navy-blue world
Finally, it was time for the sunrise. It brightened considerably and the sun came up. The sky, shifting from a faint orange and navy midnight world, saw orange increasingly take over, invading the navy-blue world. The view was truly beautiful.
I took photos with Samu and had many taken of me. I photographed Lean, and locals photographed us and vice versa. Here, everyone was a friend.
Everyone came to see the sunrise. Because of that, I felt some kind of connection between people. I climbed up a pole for a good shot and got my photo taken — it was a lot of fun.
At times I realized I was focusing more on taking photos than on enjoying the beautiful scenery, which felt a bit disappointing. I wondered if I was trying too hard to show off.
But the sunrise seen from the top of a mountain for the first time was truly beautiful.
Into the Mad Max world
When the time came we rode the buggy down the mountain. As we descended, the peak we'd been looking at seemed close by. Realizing I was now on Mount Bromo in Indonesia made me think how interesting the world is.
We reached a midpoint where apparently we would park and climb another mountain. We were already exhausted, and now we were to spend an hour climbing. We parked the buggy in a desert-like area and began walking. It felt like the Mad Max world — like we were really inside a movie.
There was a stairs route and an unofficial rocky route. Preferring fewer people, Samu, Lean, and I took the unofficial route.
Along the way, horses were coming and going, carrying tourists. Looking at the horses' faces, they looked exhausted. They're made to make dozens of trips here every day. I really felt sorry for them.
It's fun precisely because you climb by your own power; I felt there's meaning in taking each step with your own feet.
The sulfur mountain, smoke of an active volcano
We reached the summit. We had climbed the sulfur mountain, and looking down I could see sulfur smoke rising. Staring at the mountain, I thought, 'there's an active volcano down there.' Lean took some photos of me and they turned out nicely.
Someone who lives in Switzerland asked me to take their picture, so I did. They told me my photos were very good, which made me happy. Indeed, I've been taking a lot of photos since I was little, so I'm confident about composition and shooting.
But when I'm the one being photographed, I don't know what pose to strike. I guess I'm a bit awkward in that way.
I went down the stairs alone to the midpoint. I descended the mountain talking with one of the British group members about recommended tourist spots and ski resorts in Japan.
We rode the buggy down Bromo, enjoying the Mad Max-like world. We got off along the way to take photos — it was fantastic.
The happiness of a buffet, and first impressions matter
We climbed into Herry's van and after about two hours arrived at the lunch spot. It was like a buffet where you could take as much as you wanted. It was mostly Indonesian food, but it felt great to eat my fill after a long time. I piled rice high, went back and forth for watermelon several times, loaded up on lots of vegetables, meat, and fish, and devoured it.
Next to me were familiar members like Rok and Samu. Other members had joined randomly, which I found kind of amazing. But maybe that's normal. That's why first impressions are important — how you make close companions and solidify that group. In the end, you want to travel with friends who make you feel safe and share your activities.
For some reason, an Algerian couple in the same van were arguing and kept acting separately. The man seemed proud. Still, I felt that kind of strength might actually be attractive.
The roommate problem and overthinking
At the hotel I asked Herry about the rooms. It was a twin room and we were told to find a roommate before arrival. It felt like an unspoken understanding, but I thought Samu and I would end up in the same room.
After eating enough lunch and resting, we got back into the van. I felt a bit anxious while in the van. I wanted to say to Samu, 'We're sharing a room at the hotel, right?' or 'Let's be roommates,' but I wasn't in the right mood for that and wondered how I should say it.
I overthought for the first time in a while. I felt like I was retreating into my shell, something like that. I didn't like it, even as I felt it.
We arrived at the hotel in about 50 minutes. I said to Samu, 'Alright! Let's go to the room,' indirectly indicating I'd like to be roommates. He confirmed, 'We're in the same room, right?' which was a relief. I grabbed my backpack, got the key from Herry, and checked in.
A brief rest, and then departure again
As soon as Samu lay down on the bed after entering the room, he fell asleep. I took a shower, washed my body and hair. Samu said he had a soccer match at 8:00 PM and was going to watch it for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
It was 5 PM. There wasn't even six hours available to sleep. Yet he was going to watch the soccer match — I thought that was amazing.
I went to sleep for a bit, and when I woke up I went to a convenience store to buy snacks. They provided a lunchbox for dinner, but it was so small I was shocked again.
I fell asleep peacefully and woke up at 10:30 PM. I packed my backpack, took a shower, and went outside. After checking out, I climbed into the van.
