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I've landed in Singapore after just under a week in Java. Wow, what a crazy island and a great travelling experience!
Visiting Ijen crater, where local hard men carry 100kg loads of sulphur up out of a crater spewing poisonous gases and 3km down a trail to the road, is like nothing I've experienced before. So was trying to catch a bus out of the local village.
"Bus at 1pm, sir" - hotel reception
"Bus about 3pm" - local lads
"No buses after 1pm" - Lonely Planet Guide. Bugger.
Luckily we were saved by Beni, a student in Yogyakarta returning there from his homeland of Malaku. What a guy! Not only did he help us with the lingo, but then organised a car to take us to Mt Bromo, accompanied us on the climb, then took us to his home in Yogya, put us up for a few days and showed us around the city. Mia Sari you're a lucky girl!
But why does someone with a bike need to take buses anyway? Well sadly because, as beautiful as Java is, the beauty lies at the top of big hills with terrible roads (think Stanage causeway to the top of Ben Nevis twice). And in between the beauty spots are miles of congested roads where death defying scooters play chicken with hurtling trucks. (It is after all the most populated island in the world!) Fingers crossed for Singapore and Malaysia...
Oh and I almost forgot... go to Borobudur and Pramanan. They're really rather good!
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