Ijen Volcano

Nov 10, 2014

The past two days have been filled with a lot of traveling interspersed with some cool adventures.  Yesterday, we took a bus ride from Bali to the neighboring island Java.  Yes, we took a bus the whole way!  The ferries that travel between the islands are so massive that they can fit up to 20 buses on it.  We averted a minor crisis before getting on the ferry.  We had stopped for 15 minutes and I felt that it was the opportune time to use the restroom (the facilities on the bus were perhaps the grossest I have ever seen in my life.)  I exited the bus and upon returning from using the bathroom I saw the bus driving away!  Thankfully, Peter speaks fluent Indonesian and was able to stop the bus while I ran it down.  The look on my face had to have mirrored the looks of the rest of the group whose faces were smashed against the windows with looks of terror as I wove through traffic.

The ferry was 30 minutes and pretty uneventful.  Leaving Bali which is predominately Hindu and arriving in Java which is predominately Muslim was fascinating.  Though only a short distance away and both being a part of the same country, the atmosphere was completely different.  Where in Bali everything is covered in Hindu statues and temples, Java is populated with mosques with the call to prayer blaring over the loud speakers.  The call to prayer has been something that I have wanted to hear for a long time.  It was the first time for Joey, Katy, and I to experience it. 

Our guest house was small but adequate.  It was a house with 3 rooms furnished for guests.  It had basic amenities: electricity, running water, and a place to lay our head.   It reminded us a lot of our homestays in Tonga and the atmosphere was relaxing and laidback, probably because we had the whole place to ourselves.  We napped briefly before waking up at 1 am to embark on our most epic adventure yet: climbing Mt. Ijen. 

Mt. Ijen is an active volcano that emits blue flame at the bottom of its crater.  This is an extremely rare phenomenon caused from molten sulfur that oozes from the fissures.  There are only 2 volcanoes that do this in the world: Mt. Ijen and another volcano in Alaska. 

The locals have harnessed this natural occurrence and have created an industry out of it.  Every day, miners trudge an hour and a half up the slope and then down another 45 minutes into the crater.  If this doesn’t seem hard enough, they then have to haul out a minimum of 130 pounds of sulfur per load, in baskets, back up the crater and down the mountainside while contending with a volatile environment: sulfuric gasses and the threat of landslides. 

We mimicked the miners’ daily commute unburdened by a load of sulfur and we still struggled.  The trail was loose soil and gravel and sometimes the slope was a 45 degree angle.  Thankfully, we had a local miner as a guide: Sam.  He is a really cool guy and was all smiles and full of encouragement while we sweated up the trail and down into the crater.  He also provided us with gas masks which were a necessity because of the fumes which was something we didn’t think about. 

The sweat and pain in the glutes and thighs were totally worth it.  The blue flame emitted from the fissures was incredible and was the only light in the pitch black.  We then watched the sunrise come over the summit which illuminated the acidic lake at the center of the crater, an absolutely incredible experience. 

We did have a little bit of a scare.  Just as we were taking our photo in front of the lake we heard a deafening roar from across the crater.  It was a landslide and the other tourists started running from the lake.  Our guide remained composed and started telling people not to worry and restored a sense of calm.  Later, he told us that he was scared because he didn’t know how bad it was going to be but was worried that all the tourists would stampede making the situation much more dangerous.  Thankfully, we were unharmed. 

On the way back down, Peter, Joey, and I lifted a sulfur laden basket.  It was inordinately heavy and my legs were shaking just standing.  It is amazing that these men can do what they do.

This excursion has probably been one of the most impactful experiences of my life and has put a lot into perspective.  First and foremost, it was epic: we climbed into a volcano and saw a rare natural phenomenon!  It was also heartbreaking.  I have never before been confronted with such a dangerous job and people eking out a living; each miner makes 12 dollars a day for back-breaking labor.  On our way back up, miners stopped us to try and sell us sulfur molds of turtles and other little statues to try and earn a little bit extra money for their families.  None of us had money so we couldn’t purchase from them.  I wish I could have.  I wish I could stand at the bottom of Mt. Ijen and buy every statue from every miner.  When I think about our guide, who is so wonderful and kind, going to the mines tomorrow to carry up 130 pounds of sulfur from the crater of a volcano to only make 12 dollars for his labor, I am moved beyond words.  What is even more heartbreaking is that he will stand at the top of the summit, smiling and sweating, trying to sell little turtle molds to passing tourists.  He deserves better and I wish I could help. 

How many times have I complained about working?  How many times have I labeled my labor as “back-breaking?”  I now know what back breaking-labor looks like and what working for pennies is. 

-Michael 

3. Making it rain Ruppiah at our homestay in Banyuwangi

4. Sulfur fumes burned our throats as we got closer to the crater

1. The bus ride from Bali to the Java ferry terminal (smelled like feet)

2. Ferry to Java

5. The crater lake where we heard the rock
slide

6. Climbing back out of the crater

7. It was difficult to breathe while climbing up wearing the gas mask

8. Standing on the rim

9. Lifting the sulfur baskets

10, The second train ride from Surabaya to Yogyakarta