Honeymoon: East Java Adventure!

I got married on 1 August 2015! After spending so much money on wedding, we were quite budget conscious and did not plan for a honeymoon at first. However, the announcement of the Jubilee long weekend made it too tempting to take a honeymoon without burning too much leave, thanks to SG50! I decided to plan a honeymoon trip to a nearby country, hopefully spending less than S$1000 per pax for the entire trip.

Mount Bromo and Ijen Crater has been on my to-go list. I had planned to go there with a hiking group by myself, then I saw a 7D6N East Java trip itinerary for the Jubilee weekend which covers Mount Bromo, Ijen Crater, snorkelling at Menjangan island and water rafting at Probolingo. I think we really spent less than S$1000 per pax for this trip! The flight was really expensive nearer the long weekend, so we flew over there 1 day earlier to get a cheaper flight. Yes the difference in price saved was enough to cover the extra night of accommodation and expenditure - extra holiday at a lower price!

When I told people that I would be going for honeymoon in Indonesia, the first response is usually "is it Bali?". Not entirely wrong, because we were snorkeling in Bali waters at Menjangan island. When I elaborated about the activities I would be doing for my honeymoon, most people found it strange. Maybe the default style of honeymoon is resort-style at Bali or Maldives, or a long trip to Europe or somewhere exotic. I don't look like a sporty person, many said. That is true, I can't even swim, but there is always a first time to anything!

Honeymoon: Mount Bromo

Right after our Ijen Crater hike, we set off for the Mount Bromo sunrise that very night at around 11pm. We visited Mount Bromo on 10 August 2015. We changed to a jeep to travel up the Pananjakan viewpoint to wait for the sunrise. According to the guide, the best way to enjoy Mount Bromo is to view the sunrise from this view point first, followed by a trek up Mount Bromo.

I expected the place to be about as cold as Ijen, but I was underdressed again - It was much colder! We bought wool scarves and hat and it was not enough. I rented another thick jacket and still felt cold. Luckily it was all very cheap despite the place being a famous tourist attraction. The toilet was tourist rates though, 2k for small business and 3k for big business hahaha. No tissue too.

We reached the viewpoint about 1h before sunrise, and it was already quite crowded. The crowd never stopped streaming in until sunrise was over. No wonder the travel websites advised coming early to get a good spot to watch the sunrise.

Honeymoon: Ijen Crater

On Singapore's 50th birthday, we were trekking Ijen Crater. It is an active volcano famous for it's turquoise acidic crater lake, the blue fire and the sulphur miners.

We checked out from our hotel at Bondowoso at 10.30pm to head towards Ijen at Banyuwangi, and reached around 1.30 am. When I stepped out of the van, it dawned on me that I was severely underdressed. It was so cold, and everyone else were all covered up. Luckily, one of my travel mates lent me a long sleeve tshirt and I bought a pair of gloves there. 

Ijen stands at 2400 m high, but was much more manageable compared to my previous hikes at Gunung Datuk and Gunung Lembak (we took the more challenging trek at Lembak). The trek was generally steep but on pavement walk, no difficult terrains till the crater rim. Now I know that the height of a mountain may not be representative of the difficulty of a hike, it is the terrain that defines the difficulty. There is also a rest point at around 1850 m checkpoint.