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Public Zone 公開區 => Travelogues 遊記相薄 => Topic started by: chin on 09 February 2009, 03:34:29
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We first went to the resort islands of Pulau Seribu for a few days of sun and beach.
Then we headed for East Java where we visited few mountains, including Mount Ijen - so called "The Beauty of the Stink". It stinks because it is a live volcano with sulphur that burns your lungs.
We were traveling with kids, so inevitably we have to see some zoos and parks. Including the Safari Indonesia where I took few pictures of animals.
On the last day of our East Java trip, we stumble upon a pleasant surprise.
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Pulau Seribu
Pulau Seribu, which means thousand islands, is an island resort about [2] hours of boat ride from Jakarta.
The resort mainly comprise of two islands with shuttle boat to go between. All the guest rooms are little villas 15 meters from the beach.
Left of the picture is the main dinning room with beautiful vista of the sea. Everyday we just have a long breakfast then just sit there read books, while the kids fed fishes with bread.
In the background of the picture is the main pier for shuttle to the other island, the once a day boat trip to Jakarta, and the landing for water sports and boats.
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Pulau Seribu
Opposite to the main pier on the same island is a secondary pier for unloading supplies and shuttle for the resort staff.
In the late afternoon, some resort staff as well as some guests would be fishing on the pier, or simply enjoy the sunset in the breeze.
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Sulphur Carrier at Mount Ijen
Soon after return from Pulau Seribu, we headed for Surabaya in the east Java.
One of the mountains we visited is Mount Ijen which is a live volcano.
Halfway up the [9km] hike, we start to see many workers carrying down very heavy loads of sulphur. Many of them would stop and try to sell us pieces of nicely formed sulphur blocks.
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Weighting Station
About 2/3 way up on the trails, we saw a little store selling drinks and snacks to tourists.
Right next to the store is an area where loads of sulphur waiting to be picked up by the carriers. The workers would pick up a load, weight the loads and take a record.
We found out that the workers are paid [Rp490/kg] of sulphur carried down maintain. The load in this picture weight about 70kg! Each worker can make two trips per day.
That translates to [US$7] per day for this back-breaking, lung-burning work.
After learning about their low pay, we felt obigated to buy a few sulphur blocks from the workers.
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Burned!
When I said lung-burning, I really meant it. It was hard to breath.
This picture is taken on the top of Mount Ijen. The trees were not burned by fire. They were burned by the sulphur in the air. At the end of this road is the two sulphur mines.
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Crater on Mount Ijen
This is the volcano crater of Mount Ijen. The crater is apparently filled with sulphur water. I did not bother to go down to investigate.
The wind change directions often. When it was blowing toward us, it brough heat and sulphur that burn your throat and lungs.
Time to go.
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Safari Indonesia
When traveling with kids, zoo is a mandatory stop.
In Safari Indonesia, you can drive your own vehicle or ride on the zoo's bus.
This is just one of the many big bird in this zoo.
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Safari Indonesia
The picture on top is another big bird. When it came up to our jeep, its head is right on top of the window next to me.
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Birds
More pictures of birds.
Parot is taken in Safari Indonesia in Surabaya. Crane is taken in a park in Jakarta.
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The Girl Next Door
At the end of our east Java trip, we stayed in Surabaya for one night before taking an afternoon flight to Jakarta.
When the bell boy took us to our rooms, we saw 3 or 4 young people virtually camping out in the elevator waiting area in our floor, with food, drinks and pillows. And the bell boy greet them with a big smile.
"What kind of hotel would tolerate campers like these?" I was wondering and feeling not too comfortable about the hotel. Little did I know that we were in for a treat.
The next morning, when I passed the next room, I saw perhaps 20 people in the standard hotel room. Everyone was busy. A few girls sitting, while others dressing them, doing their hair and other declarations.
My first thought was there must be a traditional wedding downstairs. So I grabbed my camera and lenses, just in time to see this girl came out of the room.
Turned out it was not a wedding.
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Traditional Dress Show & Competition
We soon found out that the hotel was the venue for an annual traditional dress show and competition.
There were probably 100 nicely (and traditionally) dressed men and women (mainly women in fact) who were either contestants in the competition or models for shops offering traditional dresses for wedding or important events.
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Traditional Dress Show & Competition
Most of the girls were very relax and cooperative when photographed. Some of them, such as this one, pose with the special hand gesture that goes with their tradition.
I had learned a hard lesson about preparedness for unexpected photographic opportunities. Although I had with me all my lenses and the flash, my flash had no batteries because I did not think that I will use the flash.
And I thought that I can buy alkaline batteries ANYWHERE. Dead wrong. There was no alkaline battery in the hotel or nearby shops.
Armed with weak and slow batteries and only one hour before leaving town, I have wasted far too many photo opportunities in an event that I may never see again.
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The Last Model
As I left the main function hall of the hotel to check out, I saw this girl posing in the lobby for her photographer. So I shamelessly join in and asked her to pose for me.
We decided to go lunch before heading to the airport. It happened the restaurant we had lunch was owned by a guy in the local polygamy society. He publishes and freely distribute a polygamy magazine in the restauarnt.
While we eat and giggle at the polygamy magazine, our phones started to ring off the hook. We found out then a big bomb just went off in Jakarta Marriot Hotel just minutes ago.
What a day.