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.

This photo was taken after we came down because it was still pitch dark when we started hiking

I did not take a proper picture above but you may see a sign at the background saying "All visitors are strictly FORBIDDEN to go down to the crater". When you reach the crater rim, you will also see a sign that says going down the crater is prohibited because it is dangerous, beware toxic gas etc. However, on the day we went, everyone went down, and we did too. I heard that sometimes there will be someone there to forbid visitors to go down. I think you may be able to bypass them with some money, it's really worth going down! It's like going to a different space o_O

Beware toxic gas!

The trek down the crater was about 200 m deep. It was the most challenging part due to the rocky and less defined and sometimes slippery terrain. The path was quite narrow at certain parts, and bottlenecks when someone is walking the opposite direction. 

When we finally reached the bottom of the crater, the thick sulphur fumes welcomed us. It was very choking especially when the wind blows the fumes to you. We chocked several times even with a N95 mask on. There were ceramic pipes placed at certain strategic locations to condense the sulphur gas into solid forms so that the miners can carry them back. Wonder how did someone place the pipes there.

Look at the sulphur gas condensed into molten sulphur, which then cooled into solid sulphur mines. 

Us with our headlamps and my groggy eyes - trying to act happy even though we were choking...

We are proud Singaporeans celebrating SG50 at Ijen Crater!

We caught a glimpse legendary Blue Fire! It was just a small glimpse because the fumes was quite heavy that day. According to our guide, the blue fire is only visible between 2 - 5 am. Make sure you plan your trip to reach the bottom early enough! The blue fire is hidden behind the thick fumes most if the time, we had to wait for wind to blow the fumes away or when the fumes is not so thick to see the blue fire. It was quite painful to wait for the blue fire because you will inhale a lot of the fumes, but I guess once in a lifetime it's worth it, especially if you get to go down the crater. 

  

Probably my only clear picture of the blue fire. Not easy to snap a good picture of this sneaky fire.

The Ijen turquoise lake is definitely not to be missed. At a pH of 0.5, it is the largest acidic lake in the world. I overheard someone saying "the water is so hot, is it 80 degrees?" Goodness, did someone just dipped her finger in hot acid? What happened to her finger?

Sulphur fumes supplying the lake with its acid

The view right in front of the lake. Pardon my shaky hands..

Along the way, you will see a lot of sulphur miners. There were young and old, smiling and frowning miners. Usually the younger ones look happier, some of them were proud to be a tourist attraction - one of them even made a strong pose and told us his load is 90kg! The old ones do not look so happy, many of them smoking while carrying the load, as if the sulphur fumes is not harmful enough. My mother said maybe they 以毒攻毒. Wonder if the young and happy ones will eventually become like that. 

Sulphur miners at work since the wee hours - some of them will try to sell little sulphur to visitors 

The miners earn about 900 rupiah per kg of sulphur they carry, each trip averages about 60 - 70 kg, and each miners usually make 2 - 3 trips per day, Most of them earn about S$10+ a day, and wiki says it is considered highly paid. One Starbucks coffee in Singapre cost them one trip.

A miner weighing his loot - 91 kg, he said

You will see a lot of loaded baskets left unattended along the way, because the miners usually takes two load in the first trip, and put the second load somewhere to retrieve later. "Won't some other miner take the load?", I asked the guide. Apparently they work on integrity basis. Although their job is tough and harsh, they don't take what is not theirs. Anyway, those baskets make good photo props.

I don't think I look like a miner.. good try..

On your way out, there will be sulphur miners trying to sell you little sulphur souvenirs, and even set up little stores to sell more elaborated ones.

Sulphur souvenirs - the miners probably earn more from selling a few pieces of souvenir than carrying one trip

Although we were away from Singapore during the long weekend, our heart is still with Singapore for her 50th birthday! This long weekend was our honeymoon trip right after our wedding on 1 August so forgive us for not being there~

Happy SG50 from Ijen Crater!

Ijen Crater you are beautiful, but we are probably not coming back.... Let us take many photos now.

It was such a good trek! The view of the sulphur fumes, sulphur mines, the BLUE FIRE, the acidic lake was breathtaking (really took our breath and left us choking X_X). The sulphur miners working in such harsh conditions for a meager pay really show that there are a lot of people suffering out there, be grateful of what you have right now! I was slightly underprepared for the trek due to lack of research, so for the benefit of people who are planning to hike Ijen Crater, here's some tips for you!

• Remember the blue fire is only visible between 2 - 5 am. Give yourself about 3 hours to trek up if you are slow like me. It can be quite crowded during hiking seasons. Moreover, it takes some waiting for the blue fire to be seen clearly. 
• There is toilet at the base and costs 2000 rupiah. Use it before trekking. No toilet paper, bring your own.
• I brought about 1.5 litres of water, but I only consumed 500 ml. It was quite cold plus I felt like going to the toilet halfway, so I stopped drinking. I think 1 litre is safe, but it depends on how much you drink. 
• Bring headlamps for night trek.
• Wear hiking shoes especially if you intend to go down the crater.
• IMPT: Bring a N95 mask!! Someone advised that I could bring swimming goggles too if my eyes can get sensitive from the sulphur gas. I didn't bring though.
• Wear enough clothing in layers. It is cold when you are not hiking but it should be removable when you get hot from hiking.
• Should be considered an easy hike for experienced hikers, but not for total beginners. If this is your first hike, some prior training is recommended (e.g. steps climbing).
• Keep your bag light, bring only what you need.
• Bring hat, scarves and gloves if you are scared of cold.