It was a long way up. We started the ride from our hotel at 3am in the morning, we didn't noticed how long it took to arrive at the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park entrance where our tour guide paid for our entrance fee to the ranger.
We were heading to Mount Penanjakan to hunt for our first morning sunrise.
Our tour guide *Pak Inem, finally stopped his jeep at a point where no jeep's allowed to go further. In that dark morning, there were so many people arriving, like us, there were also locals selling stuffs, and offer a motorcycle ride to the top *gojek. We walked further more in the dark before someone came to us and offer to sell gloves, scarves and snowcap. I was beginning to turn so cold I-kenot -tahan, and uncomfortable, so Af bought a cheap gloves and a snowcap for him.
There were many surau and public toilets on our way up, so we stopped several times before finally reaching there.
*
The view-point was actually really-really crowded. People from all over the world were there, waiting in pitch black. Locals selling mat to sit on, offering jackets to rent from, selling hot drinks, anything that can make money. It was really cold, around 5 - 10 degree celsius and I was only wearing 2 shirts and a sweater *and I hate really cold weathers, did I mentioned? So I was uncomfortable and irritated by the extreme cold and packed crowded place.
A bit disappointed, but I had to play tourist in this trip.
The first morning ray started around 5am, on the left part of the viewpoint. Everyone stood up and waited for the sun patiently. People started to take photos of the dimmed orange light in dark sky that slowly turned to purple, and pink, and blue, and all the colours that the sun could muster in that 2 hours. See how these beautiful colours changed taken from my old Lumix :
Of course, it was the majestic sun gleaming proudly in the morning rays.
But there were too many people, crammed together like we were watching a concert played by the nature. Did I enjoy my silent moment of the new day ? Of course, not. I can barely hear myself. I had to slowly slide in, to take nice photos. Af is taller than most locals, so he got no problem with that. While I was always short, as short as most Asian =.=
By the time the sun shone fully, people started to disappear like everything interesting that people has been waiting for the past 2 hours lost it sparks. Just for the nice pictures to keep in their memories, shared in social medias, printed and for stories to tell later.
*
We waited for some time more, taking photos from the outer side of the view point where we can see the highest Mount Semeru and all other littles mountains below it. There are active volcanic reactions all around, so we sometimes see white puffs coming up from the mountain.
*
Our way down, people were having breakfast and little shopping spree buying souvenirs. There were some locals selling pisang goreng and corns alongside of the steps while we were walking down, so that was our breakfast as well. I bought 2 Bromo patches that I wanted to sew on our backpacks, because we reached our first national park + mountain top ! :D
Soon everything turned yellowish and light blue, too bright for everything. We walked down this time, avoiding chatty gojeks and their relentless offers. It was still cold, but not as cold as the past 2 hours that we spent standing up in silent, waiting for the sun.
*
We finally met Pak Inem back, he was waiting patiently at the side of the road, squatting next to a small bonfire :D Little heat brought smiles. Our trip continues to the next stops.
