The ultimate experience of Indonesia’s active volcanoes, art and leisure in Bali

Write in front:
When I applied to go overseas in 2015, because I was stuck in my existing job every day, I didn’t have the opportunity to broaden my horizons in my free time. My understanding of the outside world comes from news, movies and oral accounts from some colleagues with overseas experience. In fact, I have basically no understanding of overseas countries. To what extent? There happened to be an interview in Southeast Asia, and the interviewer asked me where I was going.

Looking back now, as a foreigner, after working in Myanmar, my understanding of the country, region, geopolitics, political and social economy is much more comprehensive. Recently, due to the coup in Myanmar in January, local employees and friends in Myanmar would come to ask me some common sense questions. However, for inexperienced people, it is difficult to understand the logical relationship just by reading the reports.
  
So after I went to Myanmar at the end of 2015, it was a very big turning point in my life and opened a window to the world. In addition to knowledge, my travels have also begun to cover the Asia-Pacific region. Playing is the most important part of overseas travel besides work.
  
Although Xiaxia still stays in China, he came to Myanmar to visit me once during the Chinese New Year in 2017, and then we agreed to go to Indonesia together on the National Day in 2017. Although this trip lasted only 7 to 8 days, it was so rich in content. It was also the most enjoyable time I had spent overseas in a long time, and I had endless aftertaste.

Part 1: Day0-Rendezvous-9/30
First of all, I would like to introduce another good radical from Myanmar Friend Kimi. He is handsome and handsome, and is known as the little prince of KTV in China. After playing too hard in China, he felt that he couldn't bear it anymore and decided to apply to go overseas to recuperate. Unexpectedly, he didn't get any better.
  
We were working in the same customer group. When we started a new business, we had no customers every day. Then we thought about countermeasures together every day. We continued to go out for drinks, KTV, ball and massage every week, and established a deep revolutionary friendship. He doesn't like to move much at ordinary times and is very carefree. On his days off, he likes to lie down. On weekends, his basic rhythm is to have a drink, play a game of basketball, and then rest, get a massage, apply Tiger plaster, and sleep for the rest of the day. I also like to stay at home during long holidays.
  
Later, I tricked him into going to see the volcano together, but he was fine. How could I be so evil? Later he realized that it was really a life-threatening climb. Once he really enjoyed it, he was at his peak. The shock has arrived.
  
On September 30th, our troops were divided into two groups to gather in Jakarta, Indonesia. K (①) and I set off from Yangon, and Xiaxia (②) set out from China. We met smoothly at midnight on September 30th.
  


K and I are not taking domestic leave in Myanmar, and 9/30 happens to be a Saturday. After taking 5 days off, we can play until 10/8. So I arrived in Singapore early in the morning on the 30th. I went to Singapore several times because of projects. I didn’t go to the check-in place during the day. I went to Geylang to eat barbecue and go shopping. There is a Northeastern barbecue restaurant there that is super delicious and authentic. , not available in Yangon. The potatoes were sold out when I went there at noon, but the boss said they would only be available in the evening. I casually ordered some at noon, went for a massage in the afternoon, and came here specially to eat cans of potatoes in the evening. As expected, the aroma was as expected. (The store is the king of dumplings in Northeast China)

Geylang is very similar to traditional Chinatown. Compared with the bustling side of Singapore's Waterfront Crescent, it is very down-to-earth. It is also the red light district of Singapore. I can’t remember clearly, but it seems that odd-numbered streets are normal stores, and even-numbered streets are stores that provide services. Singapore is fairly regulated, and illegal industries such as the Asia-Pacific QS and BC industries are quite developed, and there are a lot of Chinese people working in them, and most of the customers they target are Chinese. This is a particularly interesting topic. I won’t expand it on Douban anymore.

Part 2: Day1 Reunion of old friends 10/1
The four of us met at the Jakarta Airport , and then it turned out that the supervisor from Inner Mongolia was transferred here and arranged airport pick-up for us. This was one of the main reasons why we chose Indonesia. It was past 12 o'clock when we arrived at the hotel. After checking in, we started talking about old times with a small beer and two plates of peanuts, and continued until 6 o'clock in the morning.
  


One year after I left Inner Mongolia, my supervisor, a native of Inner Mongolia, had been staying in Inner Mongolia for more than 10 years, and there was no room for advancement in the country. Wanting to advance further, I finally forced myself to learn English. When I arrived in Indonesia, my whole family came with me. This is not an easy thing for him. He has to take care of his family and is forced to do this. The company is really ruthless in this regard. If you move a tree, you will die, but if you move people, you will live. First, the ceiling will be extremely low if you stay in one place. Second, China must move overseas. China’s demographic dividend is a powerful tool for Chinese companies to expand externally. (You can dig a hole and talk about the human resources logic of Chinese companies and European and American companies in their global expansion. China's popular education and sufficient talent supply are very critical factors in changing the competitive landscape of the corporate world)



I’m sorry that I habitually divert travel notes to work, but there really wasn’t much to write about on this day in Jakarta. I didn’t get up until 11 o’clock at noon. I did some shopping in the afternoon and had a big meal in the evening. A few very intuitive feelings:

1. Jakarta’s traffic planning is particularly bad. There are very few traffic lights on the road and there are too many cars and congestion.
  


2. Indonesia undertakes a lot of clothing processing. For example, the American Polo Ralph Lauren brand is priced at the same price as cabbage when purchased locally.
  
3. The locals' happiness index is pretty good. The atmosphere in the restaurant is very good. They like to sing and dance. There are many Indonesian bands stationed in restaurants in good Southeast Asian countries.
  


4. The seafood is fresh and cheap, and there are many wild cats on the road, so it is easy to catch them.
  



Part 3: Day2~4 Volcano Trip 10/2~10/4
Indonesia is most famous for its volcanoes and Bali. After saying goodbye, we officially started surfing.
  
Indonesia is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, with the largest number of volcanoes in the world. It was my first time to climb a volcano, and there were two active volcanoes, so I hired a local tour guide (car and accommodation included). We chose the more representative Bromo (Mount Bromo) and Ijen (Ijen), and finally took a ferry to Bali at Ketapang Pier. The whole journey takes 2 days and is very intense.
  

Indonesia Volcano Tour Bromo+Ijen

3.1 Bromo Volcano 10/2~10/3
Mount Bromo, also translated as Mount Bromo, is a volcano in Indonesia located in The eastern part of Java Island is administratively governed by the Province of East Java. The altitude is 2,329 meters. The crater has a north-south diameter of 800 meters and an east-west diameter of 600 meters. It is located southeast of Surabaya, East Java, about 150 kilometers away. . It is located within the huge volcanic crater of Mount Tengger. Dengger Mountain was formed about 800,000 years ago, and the diameter of the crater is now 10 kilometers wide. Later, this large volcano erupted again, and Mount Bromo, Mt Batok and Mount Semeru were born in the vast basin. There are villages on this plateau, and there is a cliff at the end of the village. Under the cliff is a sand sea basin, with a strange landscape of a volcanic crater in the center of the basin. [1] The most recent eruption occurred in 2015.
  
Flying from Jakarta to Surabaya on the morning of the 2nd, the tour guide was named Harmawan, Hamawan, and Hage.
  
Pick us up from Surabaya Airport (A) and go straight to the town next to Bromo volcano for accommodation. I live on the cliff on the northeast side of the volcano, but the smoke was so thick that day that I couldn't see the volcano. The gray sand sea basin under the cliff was completely covered with volcanic ash, and it felt like a wasteland.
  
Here is the itinerary:

Departing from the hotel at 3 am on the 3rd, the best volcano and sunrise viewing point in front of the jeep, Bukit Cinta

- After watching the sunrise, we went down the mountain into the basin and arrived at Lautan Pasir Bromo, the parking lot for climbing the volcano,

- Walking to Mount Bromo

The whole journey ends from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m.
  
Because active volcanoes will emit thick smoke from the crater, the smoke It contains a lot of sulfur substances, which is very choking, so you need to wear a mask or activated carbon mask (actually it's not that exaggerated). Although Indonesia is close to the equator, it was very cold in the mountains in the early morning. The tour guide helped me rent a set of cold-proof clothing, Pink.
  


Activated carbon masks are brought by Xiaxia from China. There is no such high-end product in Myanmar


Drone shot, the smoke is Bromo volcano


Mobile phone multiplex shot


There are still quite a lot of people, I admire the guy wearing shorts


The sunrise in the distance, A new day begins


At 5:30, we drive through the basin to the volcano



The moment we climbed onto the crater, I was shocked, like a roar. The mechanical sound of the textile factory was emitting pungent smoke. The yellow stuff on the wall of the pit was sulfur ore. In the past, people used to hang it down to collect it.

The sound of the volcano was too scary, and only a small part had railings. K heard this sound coming from hell. Sound, legs a little weak. Xiaxia and I continued walking to the west side of the crater for about 500 meters. By this time, there was no one around. So we flew the drone(zi)(wo) here:

Bromo volcano drone shooting video


The volcanic wind was very strong, and the drone body shook violently



Respect Bromo


Walking alone into the crater


Flying to the center of the volcano, thick smoke billowing


The legs of the recycled drone are weak, and there are still people here offering incense and onions, thank you for blessing


Have a volcano massage~



The shape of the volcano that was flowed by magma after the eruption

We completed our first trip to an active volcano at about 8 o'clock , which lasted 5 hours from getting up to the end. Of course, if it is a free trip, we will spend more time here, maybe walk around the volcano, or go on an in-depth trip to climb several surrounding volcanoes. But it was also very satisfying, and the experience was very exciting.
  
The bad thing about climbing the volcano is:After the climax of the day, I found that today has just begun.
Next, we visited the local original ecological ponds along the road and found a unique fish pond restaurant. We could play whatever we came across, and they were all pretty cheap anyway.
  

The facility is quite shabby and there are not many people there. Gay friends can just play there



The waterfall is quite fun. It’s a hot Indonesia to visit. Take a natural shower; the restaurant has a good view, and I even took a nap after eating. I felt comfortable. Arrive at Ijen View Hotel around 6pm and check in, and set off for Mount Ijen at 2am the next morning.
  
3.2 Ijen Volcano 10/3~10/4
Ijen Volcano (Indonesian: Gunung Ijen) is located in the eastern part of Java Island, Indonesia. It is composed of multiple small complex volcanoes forming a 20-kilometer-wide crater. The north wall of the crater is an arc-shaped ridge, and the other parts are composed of various craters. . Among them, Mount Merapi  located in the east, is the highest point with an altitude of 2799 meters. To the west of Mount Merapi is the famous active volcano Kawah Ijen, which has a crater lake about 1 km wide , the crater is famous for being rich in sulfur. It is now a famous tourist attraction.
  
On the Internet, it is said that Mount Ijen is most famous for its blue flame, which is a low-temperature flame burning sulfur. You need to see it around 4 o'clock in the morning, it is very beautiful.
  
We need to set off at 2 a.m. on the 4th and arrive at the foot of Mount Ijen in ten minutes. We need to hike up, which takes about an hour, and then go down to the crater. There is still an operating sulfur mine there, and there are a lot of people. Still working here, I went into the pit for about half an hour. The environment here is very harsh, and this volcano is relatively difficult.
  
Approximate itinerary:

- To the base camp of Ijen volcano: Bumi Perkemahan Paltuding

- Hike from the camp to the crater Wisata Alam Kawah Ijen

- Go down the pit to the entrance of the sulfur mine where the blue flame is located

- After watching the flames, return to the mouth of the crater, then walk counterclockwise around the crater to the one o'clock direction of the volcano. There are some small houses. There are very few points here, which is suitable for aerial photography.

- Return to the pit entrance and ride the ore cart down the mountain, which is exciting

Ijen full route Picture

Detailed itinerary:


The breakfast prepared by the hotel was quite rich, and I ate it in the car on the way



October 4th is the Mid-Autumn Festival. We are walking under the moonlight. The P9 at that time can already be used for hand-held exposure. The light spots on the road are headlamps



Among the passers-by are mine pickers who work all night. , they are responsible for carrying sulfur from the bottom of the pit to the mountain pass, and they pay a few yuan per carry, and it takes nearly an hour to go back and forth


Along the way, some miners sell sulfur ore to tourists


The road down to the pit is very difficult. We were still in the middle of the pit at 4 o'clock, and we could already see the blue flames from a distance. The handheld exposure failed


After descending to the bottom of the pit, the miners They were working and mining in the thick smoke, and they were vaguely photographed through the headlight



Ordinary masks are really not enough, they choke, are they just to look at the blue eyes? flame?
  
The scene was not shocked by the blue flames, but was surprised by the harsh working environment. You can search on the Internet: Ijen Volcano Blue Flame

After it was dark that day, I was stunned by the scene in front of me. It was an emerald green volcanic lake. I came here at the right time without any guide, so it was a small surprise. ,So beautiful.
  

Escaped from the mine entrance and saw the whole place


As a chicken thief, I wore a millet mask and I choked to death



It was almost sunrise at 5 o'clock in the morning, leaving the mine

That's it, that was impossible. In order to have a panoramic view of the volcanic lake, K and I headed east along the crater to the end. We also took a video: Aerial photography of Ijen Crater


Panoramic view of Ijen


Kimi taking a photo with Ijen Crater Lake


Lying on the edge of the crater



It is very quiet here. Occasionally, two guys came to watch us play with drones and take photos together.
  
It took us two hours to go back and forth from the mouth of the mine to the filming location, but when we returned to the mouth of the pit, my legs began to cramp. There was too much exercise in the past two days, and Xiaxia and the others were still waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain. Then we purchased the ore truck service. If I remember correctly, it was 100,000 Indonesian rupiah (50 CNY). It was quite exciting to sit in the front, especially when going downhill and making sharp turns, I felt like I was about to be pushed down the valley. After coming down the mountain, I thanked the old driver for scaring me but not killing me. It was about 8 o'clock when we arrived at the foot of the mountain.
  

The old driver goes down the mountain

Conclusion of the volcano part: Both volcanoes are We start playing at night, from 3 to 8 o'clock in one session and from 2 to 8 o'clock in another session. After the climax of the game, I realized that the day had just begun. The rhythm of the journey was particularly wonderful, and playing like this was also very demanding on physical endurance. For landscapes such as volcanoes, it’s best to bring a drone to capture their magnificence. In addition, you must pay attention to safety. After the active volcano erupts from time to time, the landscape along the way is relatively steep. In addition, due to the pungent smell caused by sulfur, necessary protection is required when entering the vicinity of the mine. In general, the experience brought by the volcano trip is the ultimate, even though it lasts only 2 to 3 days, it is very enjoyable.
  

Part 4: Trip to Bali 10/4~10/8
Go as soon as you get down from the volcano Ketapang Port, the road down the mountain is particularly beautiful, with green trees and flowers everywhere. At that time, I thought I would ride a motorcycle here in the future, it would be beautiful. Arriving at the home port at 10:30, the tour guide helped us arrange a pick-up car in Bali. After paying the fee and tip, we said goodbye and set off for a leisure trip. Calculated, the price is 1.6~1.8M Indonesian rupiah per person, which is about 800 yuan, which is a good deal.
  
The ferry to Bali from here takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes. The sea breeze is blowing, and I sing "Island Mood" on the boat. My mood changes from excitement to relaxation, and I am not so full of expectations for the rest of the journey. It's a leisure trip.
  

Ketapang to Bali

The Bali volcano in 2017 was in the volcanic active period and erupted just a few days after the National Day, so many tour groups did not come. There are a lot fewer domestic tourists. But firstly, for safety reasons, and secondly, K and I were tired and tired in the past two days, so we decided to play in the bustling area in the south of the island, where there just weren’t that many tourists. Approximate itinerary:

- 10/4 Tanah Lot Temple, massage, hotel rest

- 10 /5 Surfing at Kuta Beach and having fun at the bar

- 10/6 Driving north to the central Ubud to visit many museums and Indian temples , galleries, carving and silver jewelry factories, etc.

- 10/7 Go to Waterblow on the east side of the southern peninsula to watch the sunrise in the morning, and go to the southernmost Pandawa Beach

- 10/8 U Nuwatu Lover’s Cliff in the west of the southern peninsula, and then return.

4-day leisure trip

There are many places to visit in Bali, including natural scenery, religious temples, art, museums, volcanoes, and beaches. There are commercial streets, delicious food, etc. It’s no problem to take a month’s vacation there. I highly recommend it personally and feel that I haven’t had enough fun in a few days. I will definitely come back with my family and friends in the future.
  
Let me talk about a few points that I think have a profound impact:

Top1: Religious Art
The most surprising thing about Bali is not Natural scenery, but religious atmosphere and artistic level. Comparing the religious art of Myanmar and Thailand, the standard presented in a small place like Bali is definitely higher than that of Myanmar. I feel that the standard of Thailand should be a little higher, because I was at the state funeral of King Rama IX one year after his death. I just happened to go there and saw the strongest level of religious art in Thailand. Even in Bali, the standard of folk roadside sculptures is already very good. The carving content is diverse, the details are rich, the expressions are expressive, and they are very up to date with many modern elements.
  
And compared to the artistic level of the Pacific Island culture in the same region as them, it should be regarded as crushing. The National Museum of the Quai Branly in Paris displays many art and religious objects from Oceania. It is less than 1K kilometers away from Bali, but this area was still in the Bronze Age in the 20th century.
  
Religiously speaking, Bali, as a Hindu region in a Muslim country, has a high level of religious art and a special history. The history of this aspect is very interesting, so I won’t go into details. There is a lot of information online.
  
This time I mainly went to temples, museums and galleries, and the level I saw was very high:


Sculpture Art


Realism Style
  

A private museum, a Hindu-style building built after the artist's death as an exhibition place for his life works, the architecture and nature are in harmony


A gallery, with gorgeous carvings, No worse than the European Gothic style


The classic door shape of a Hindu temple, with harmonious colors and gorgeous carvings


The rules of Hinduism and Theravada Buddhism are the same in the world. Several major religions are not very friendly to women (unscientific)


Modern simple religious style, I really like it


Modern painting


Modern painting


Native portraits


Hindu print style


Inside Hinduism God, I don’t know


Local customs


Gorgeous gate


The carvings on the roadside are so amazing
  

Everyone engages in art


In the factory where silver jewelry is processed, the T-shirts written on the back of the workers say I m unique. No silver jewelry is seen, but it is very unique


Textile hand-painted


Comfortable and beautiful Hindu temple, so harmonious


Commercial sculpture, great


Commercial sculpture, interesting

Although there are many commercial sculptures in China and Europe, the level in Bali is really high and comfortable to look at, which has something to do with their cultural accumulation. I won’t list too many. These are just what we saw and felt after a quick visit. I believe there are works of a higher standard than this, but this is enough to surprise me.
  
Top 2: Sea
The sea in Bali is not unusual, it is everywhere, but it is still very beautiful. There are few people on the beach and the water is clear. , there are various coastlines, which are great for leisure or exploration. The supporting entertainment equipment for those who want to play with the sea is also complete, high quality and low price.
  









Top3: Nice people
I didn’t take pictures of many people, but I met some Whether they are hotel waiters, craftsmen, or motorcycle guys, they are all pretty good, and they are in line with the generally kind character of people from Asia-Pacific countries.
  
What’s interesting is that I met a netizen here by chance. They both like post-rock. They actually stayed in the same hotel in Bali, and suddenly they had sex. Then I invited a group of their friends to a bar for a drink, and all their friends thought I was a bad person. Is it so obvious, haha?
  

On the last day, I stayed in a hotel in Lover's Cliff. It was too remote in the countryside. There were only two independent houses in total. I was the only one to stay that day


Early in the morning, a guy came over to deliver food

Recalling this trip, I think the most interesting part was the volcano part. The experience was so special. Especially the feeling of exhaustion at the end of Ijen Volcano seemed to be reaching its limit, and I didn’t have a similar experience for a long time after that.
  
I always feel that people are animals of experience. Only profound experiences can leave deep memories and remember the places and people that bring us profound experiences.