Sunrise at Mt Bromo, Java

Our group was to meet at 2:30 a.m. for a sunrise shoot of Mount Bromo. With the alarm set for 1:40 a.m., I debated whether it made sense to go to bed.

We had an hour-and-a-half drive ahead of us in a 4×4 across some rugged terrain. We wanted to arrive early enough to beat the crowds and secure a good spot before sunrise at 5:18 a.m.

At 2:20 a.m., as I waited for our group to assemble, jeeps began roaring past the front of the hotel. Every few seconds, one or two would pass. Soon, it became a continuous stream of vehicles. At an estimated 30, 40, maybe even 50 jeeps a minute, the numbers added up quickly. Hundreds, no, thousands of vehicles were racing to deliver their passengers to a viewpoint for sunrise. We weren’t going to beat the rush. Would we even find a spot?

Jeff and I climbed into the back of our 4×4, and we were off!

We snaked our way up the mountain on a narrow, one-and-a-half-lane road, crossed a ridgeline, and then descended a series of switchbacks into the crater. Once we hit the ash and dust of the crater floor, the jeeps roared side by side no longer constrained by the road. Dust as thick as a haboob engulfed us. I hung on for dear life, being tossed around like popcorn in a hot pan.

Reaching the other side of the crater, we encountered pavement again, but traffic slowed to a crawl. The road was too narrow to pass, leaving us at the mercy of the slowest vehicle straining up the mountain ahead. And then we stopped.

Somewhere up ahead, a 4×4 had broken down. As far as I could see, taillights stretched into the distance. Behind us, headlights snaked down the mountain for what seemed like miles. Traffic somehow managed to maneuver around the disabled vehicle, and we were off again… until the next breakdown.

Finally, everything came to a standstill. Vehicles were parked along both sides of the road, as well as in the middle. There was simply nowhere left to go.

Jeff and I awaiting sunrise. I am next to Jeff in the blue hoodie.

Abandoning our 4×4, we joined the swarming masses of people and motorbikes and continued on foot up the mountainside. We had two choices: walk or hail a motorbike for a ride farther up the mountain. Watching the motorbikes weave precariously between people and vehicles, there was no way I was trusting one with me and my photography gear. Walking wasn’t exactly a picnic either. I had to keep a watchful eye to avoid being knocked into a parked jeep or, worse, run over.

With 20 pounds of photography gear strapped to my back and already above 8,000 feet, I trudged over a mile uphill, in the dark, searching for a little nook where I could set up my tripod. 

In the darkness, I could make out dozens of people crowding each viewpoint. Each one I passed was full. Plan B. Our group scrambled below one of the viewpoints, along the edge of the cliff, hoping to find enough room to set up. We wedged our tripods together and waited.

Was it worth it?

 

 

Just Before Dawn – The Mount Bromo crater on the left with steam rising from its core.  In the distance, Mount Semeru displays a plume of ash and gas rising from its peak.The clouds in the sky are from earlier plumes of ash. 

After sunrise, I could see! There was the opportunity to move around from the precarious edge, and visit the viewpoint above me. The light on the trees gave the scene a fall like appearance.  

After sunrise, another plume rises from Mount Semeru.

Even afer sunrise, the clouds continued to swirl around the craters.

Afterward, our guide said he had never seen a sunrise so spectacular in all of his visits.

Yes, it was worth it.

A beautiful morning with a glorious sunrise. And, it was cold. Hat, gloves and puffy’s were our attire.