The ferry took us safely to Banyuwangi on the javan(ese?) side, where it took us no less then two hours to find out that the bus we want is not leaving from the port. This evening I got real pissed off with a guy who somehow wanted to help us and somehow tried to sell us a 1 million rupiah trip around. I find this quite hard sometimes, that people seem to be nice and helpful (e.g. want to give you information or show you the way) and once in a sudden they expect payment. I suppose I have to be open for the good things and
just learn how to recognise what this might be.A quick time warp, because it fits so nicely. Today we had the opposite thing happening. A real nice person - Dwi, how we were gonna find out later - approached us and gave us brilliant advice about Yogya and the surrounds and just wanted to communicate and practice his english. I probably just have to oversee the people who see us as potential coin and appreciate those, like Dwi, who make our experience really special.
Once we got on the bumpy ride to Probbolingo from where we wanted to catch a ride to Gunung Bromo, one of Indonesia's active volcanos, it was pitchblack and we missed the change of landscape. We checked into a hotel, that looked like it could've been somewhere in Pakistan and promptly got offered two seperate rooms. It's better to be married in this country if you want a room together.
Indonesia, the biggest Muslim country in the world, seems to be quite liberal to me. There are girls with or without headscarfs (they have those in all sorts of colours and styles - nearly wants to make you wear one yourself) and men with or without those caps or the traditional dress. I don't think I would get into trouble for wearing a singlet or so...
When I say packed, I mean packed, people sitting on the roof and holding on to the sides of the minibus. -Dorli
Bromo itself is an amazing place. I mean it's an active volcano, and if you haven't been to an active volcano, get yourself a breathing apparatus and go! The great thing about this particular volcano was the lack of rules or regulations. Perhaps the indonesian govt. didn't get around to implementing the planning procedures. He he. You can actually walk around the top of the crater and look down into the smoking crevace. Some real brave/ idiotic soul had even walked right into the crater and made a sign of his name from rocks- right from where the steam and ash rise out!
We traveled the return route to Probalingo, then onward to Yogykarta .
The drive down was spectacular, steep mountian side, which has all been tilled for agriculture. Some of it was so steep, but it seemed like any arable soil that wasn't vertical was tilled and planted on. They grow these exotic things over here. Soy beans, mango's, papaya, bananas, coconuts, pineapple- plus onions, garlic, corn, and all the stuff we are used to outside the tropics. The soil really looks dry, and not all that fertile, but it must be all that volcanic ash or something.
It's a long way to Yogykarta, a long long way to go. Nine hours in fact. Our driver wanted to get there quicker though, with scant regard for his safety or ours. You are supposed to drive on the left in Indonesia, but the rights o.k if you like a thrill. Our driver really scared the shit out of me on a number of occasions. He turned out to be a champion though. He drove the whole way with one fifteen minute break, and how the guys nerves aren't completely shot I'll never know, but I'll tell you something, my nerves are shot for life. I did get a bit used to his erratic style, maily because everyone here drives like that. The slow guys make way for the fast guys, no fuss or bother involved. They are still a crazy bunch of mothers though.
Yogykarta is a fine city. It’s all about the atmosphere! The people we met seemed to be really friendly- check “Dwee” in Dorlis blog. Even the hawkers selling us crap on the side of the road had some charm about them. (note to self - people trying to sell you stuff can get really tediuos-). There are many things to see and do in Yogykarta, the Buddist temple of Borobudur is world famous, as is the ballet peformance or Ramayana (hindu epic tale about the adventures of Rama). We managed to miss both these cultural delights, but did see the Prababan, a Hindu shrine complex dating back to 1000Ad. Magnificent it was, with mount Merapi in the background. (MT Merapi is the worlds most active volcano.)
After three days in Yogykarta it was time to move on, as your humble narrator had itchy feet for the surf. 4 hours further on the road from Yogya, brought us to Batu Kara’a surf break. The surf was dissapointing, but the journey to get there was pretty cool. O’jek and moped rides across a bamboo bridge, which looked like a relic from the 1960’s film archive of Southeast Asia.
(n.b an O’jek is a guy on bike busting his poor arse while you sit in the front feeling bad….).
Two days later we were back on the road. We purchased tickets to Bundung. Economy class tickets on the bus. This I would not recommend to anyone ever….. Unless you want a first hand experience of hell, just how hot/smoky it can be. The primary reason for our hellish experience on the bus, plus my tirade follows.
Indonesians love a cigarette, and smoke one every thirty seconds or so, and when fifteen guys on a bus smoke, then every poor bastard on the bus smokes!!! It gets so smokey sometimes that your natural tendency is to hit the deck of the bus and try to get under the smoke, much like a fireman in a burning inferno. But when you look at the floor of the bus you have a stark choice to make. Do I get down there amonst the empty coke cans, cigareete butts, chip packets, empty peanut shells, piss, and the smell of decaying foot?? The smoke is pretty bad, but in truth even if you wanted to “stop, drop, and roll” as the saying goes, you would probably fall through the bottom of the bus, because the metal is so decayed and held together by one rivet or perhaps just chewing gum. We made it off that bus, and breathing the air outside was divine. Until the guy next to me started smoking….. 
