Probolinggo

 

This was certainly a very different Christmas! Karen and I booked the tour to Mount Bromo which is a very long and diverse shore excursion. We were up about 6:30am and had a light breakfast in the cabin. Meeting time for the excursion was 7:30am, but of course there was a lot of waiting. This is a tender port, with a complicated passage into the tender dock through a long narrow passage. The little harbour area was filled with small local boats, some needing major repair! 

We  didn't get to shore until 9am, then got on one of the 8 buses. Traffic was very heavy, so getting through town was very slow. Once we finally got out of the town of Probolinggo we went much faster. The road soon started to climb. And climb. Then twist and turn while still climbing. After a little more than an hour we reached our transfer spot where we had a chicken roll and a fried banana and coffee.

 We then transferred into jeeps, room for 4 people in the back. Then about 1 hour of driving on very narrow winding roads, still steeply up with lots of hairpin turns. Through bamboo forests, small towns with small fields planted with onions, potatoes, bananas, tomatoes and other things I didn't recognize finally reached a viewpoint where we could look over the plain and see the volcano, quite a sight. 

Then drove down to the plain surrounding the volcano where we transferred from the jeeps to small horses. I had a very good horse and guide who spoke good english. About a 20 minute ride across the sandy plain, then up a gully through the lava field to where the steps started. So from there we climbed the 250 steps up to the rim of the volcano. You're at 2300 meters, so need to take it slow and steady! There was quite a smell of sulpher at the top from the steam rising from the volcano. You do need to take care at the top, as there aren't many barriers. Then it was back down the stairs, back on to horseback to the jeeps. A wait for everyone to arrive, then into the jeeps and to our lunch stop. 

A pretty good lunch and a welcome beer with a view over to Mount Bromo. Then back into the jeeps for another 45 minutes down the road - sort of like being in a roller coaster! Then transfer back to the buses, for the hour back to the port. Wed had great weather until this point, but it started to rain as we drove back. And at one time the skies opened! 

We didn't get back to the tender dock until about 5pm and then had to wait for several other buses to go on the tender before we finally were able to catch the very last tender. We knew we were going to be very late for our dinner, Karen was texting Aaron with updates. When we reached the ship I raced to my room, had a quick wash (my feet were filthy from the fine volcanic sand) and threw on some fancy clothes and ran to the dinning room for our Christmas dinner. Roast turkey with the trimmings and it was excellent! Lots of festive deserts. We went to the Celtic music show, and then finally to our cabins after a long day!