O_O JAVA O_O

Tras nuestro último buceo en Lovina, escapamos de Bali. El centro de submarinismo nos dejó en la carretera, cerca del puerto. Esperamos a que pasara un bemo (transporte público indonesio) que nos llevara hasta allá. Creyendo saber el precio exacto que debíamos pagar, le dimos 20.000 rupias al inspector, y como de costumbre, nos pidió más dinero. Al decirle que no, fue directamente hacia el conductor y comenzaron a reírse entre ellos, señalándonos con el dedo. Imaginamos que debimos pagarle de más. En fin, hasta otra Bali, hola Java.

We escaped Bali straight after our dive. The dive shop in Lovina had been kind enough to drop us off on the main road to get to the port to get to Java. They had given us an estimated price for the trip, so we knew we were not going over the initial price. To our surprise, after a rough hour bus ride, the ticket inspector came to us asking for the bus fare, we gave him a 20,000 rupia bill expecting to get some change back. The bastard looked at us and demanded 20,000 more. We looked at him with disgust, laughed in his face and continued saying "kami tidak bodoh" (we are not stupid). He took the 20,000, and went laughing to his bus driver friend saying something like "look, these tourists just paid 4 times more than the real price!… It's a pity I couldn't get anymore off them." (This is what we imagined they were saying, as they both nudged each other and laughed amongst themselves). They obviously never gave us back any change, but the satisfying thing was that this would be the last hassling we would be getting from any transport people in Bali.

Mientras esperábamos el ferry que nos llevaría a la isla de Java, hablamos con algunos locales que nos dijeron: "tened cuidado, Java es poco seguro, ¡hay mucho musulmán!". Nada más zarpar el barco, Fan-ni se acercó a hablar con nosotros. Fue una conversación básica, mezclando lo poco que sabía él de inglés y lo poco que sabíamos nosotros de indonesio, pero fue una de las pocas conversaciones honestas que hemos tenido en este país. Nos invitó a su casa, nos ofreció acercarnos al hostal en moto, nos dijo el precio exacto del autobús que teníamos que coger para ir al centro y nos dio unos cuantos consejos. La verdad es que en aquel momento estábamos tan quemados, que nos entró flojera solo de pensar que estábamos, por fin, delante de una persona que no tenía ningún tipo de interés económico por nosotros y que solo intentaba conocer una cultura diferente y ser amable. Gente despreciable, y por el contrario, gente honesta, hay en todas partes, independientemente del país de origen o religión a la que se pertenezca. No entendemos qué manía le ha entrado a todo el mundo con los musulmanes.

Before taking the ferry to Java, we had talked to some locals who had told us they did not like Java due to the amount of crime and muslims it had. Once on the ferry to Java, we met our first Javanese muslim. Fan-ni was a great guy, he was the first local who openly invited us to his house for lunch, told us the price of transport and even offered himself to take us to the city center with his motorbike. Of course he would have to do two trips, but he was completely delighted at the idea. We had stumbled across a man who had no economic interest in us what so ever, just a extremely good person, an exemplar muslim, polite, kind and humble. It is obvious that there are honest and and dishonest people all over the planet, despite country of origin, or religion, it's just a pity to see how Islam has gotten such a bad name, as if any religion would teach their believers to be evil.

Al igual que Fan-ni, descubrimos que la gente de Bayuangi era de lo mejorcito de Indonesia. Un gran alivio. Nadie intentó timarnos, nadie nos trató como dólares/euros caminantes. Por primera vez, fuimos personas.

Like Fan-ni, locals from Banyuangi are the best people we had found in Indonesia. Not one single person (a part from bemo drivers, (or oplets as they are called here)) hassled us, tried to rip us off, or approached us in a non transparent way. It was the only place where whatever you did, you payed the real local price, no questions asked. The locals were curious but always polite and extremely kind. The casual "please take a picture with me" issue always happened every now and then, but we were delighted to do so, as nothing wrong was being done, one way or another we just couldn't say no.

Esta localidad se encuentra a los pies de una de la mayores atracciones de Java, el Kawah Ijen. El cráter de este volcán mide 20 km de ancho, alberga un gran lago de color azul turquesa y de él se extrae gran cantidad de azufre. Por lo general, los turistas lo visitan a altas horas de la madrugada, no solo para ver como los mineros extraen este mineral, sino para ver las llamas azules que el volcán escupe de su interior, las cuales únicamente son visibles durante la noche. Tuvimos la suerte de conocer a Monika, una chica de Eslovaquia que recorría Indonesia en bicicleta. Ella nos contó la forma de subir al volcán por cuenta propia, sin grupos turísticos, lo que nos garantizaría evitar multitudes y conocer la vida de los mineros que viven y trabajan allí de forma más cercana.

Banyuangi has two main attractions. One, was the huge breaks that people come to surf from all over the world, renowned for their first class breaks and huge swells. The other reason why people come here is to climb and visit the Kawah Ijen, a volcano known for its sulfur mining, done in a very back breaking and demanding way. "Western" visitors usually ascend the volcano early in the morning to not only see how sulfur is extracted, but to also see the "magical blue flames" that are only visible at night when the lack of light makes the flames visible. 

No fue sencillo, pero mereció la pena. Nos levantamos temprano por la mañana, contando con que la cosa podía complicarse. Cogimos un bemo para salir de la ciudad y, una vez allí, solo nos tocaba levantar el dedo y esperar. Nos fueron parando distintos vehículos y fuimos avanzando poco a poco hasta llegar, de esta forma, hasta la base del volcán. Una vez allí, solo nos quedaba caminar durante una hora hasta la cima.

We were lucky enough to meet Monika, a girl from Slovakia who was cycling across Indonesia. A very strenuous way of traveling but with its amazing benefits. She had helped us out and informed us on how to get to the Ijen in a very cheap way, and without a tourist tour, this way avoiding the hordes of people taking pictures and giving us an unique opportunity to have the Ijen and the miners all to ourselves. 

En el camino, poco antes de llegar al punto más alto, encontramos el campamento base de los mineros. Nos ofrecieron quedarnos a pasar la noche allí. El "alojamiento" que nos dieron fue extremadamente básico, un pequeño "cuarto" (desván) de madera con unos plásticos en el suelo y una vela. Aunque la noche no fue muy… cómoda, ha sido una de las más interesante que hemos vivido. Pudimos entender algo más cómo es su vida (aunque si recordamos nuestra experiencia en las minas de plata de Bolivia, unas cuantas horas no son suficientes para entender la dureza de años y años en ese tipo de empleo), pero al menos pudimos sentarnos con ellos a compartir la cena y charlar durante un rato.

We only took one bemo out of the city and hitchhiked all the way to the volcano, where we only had to walk a good hour to the summit. There we were offered to sleep in the miners sleeping quarters for free. Something I understand that many people might have a difficult time doing as the sleeping area is extremely basic. The amazing thing was that it gave us a unique opportunity to get closer to the miner way of life. At one point we also noticed how the miner community looked at us in a different way, from 2 tourists to 2 normal people. Two miners offered to show us around the mines, but as we had been alone on the mountain there was no need, to be honest, we were able to stay on the Ijen from the afternoon till night fall, all alone. We even had time to have a little birthday celebration, just us, the sunset and the Ijen. Unforgettable. When we thought we couldn't be luckier, on the way down, the miners in the base camp invited us to some food and warm tea. It seems they had previously celebrated a small gathering and decided to share their food and drinks with us too. A great dinner meal before retiring to bed.

Aquel día, el sol se despidió de nosotros dejándonos solos en la cima del Ijen, sin turistas, tan solo con sus eternos habitantes, los mineros, que ya se preparaban para una nueva noche de jornada laboral. Su noche es nuestro día, ya que son las únicas horas en las que las llamas del Ijen se hacen visibles, y por lo tanto, pueden trabajar "sin riesgo" a quemarse. 

Nosotros nos fuimos a nuestros aposentos, sacamos nuestros sacos de invierno (hacía un frío que pelaba), encendimos nuestra vela y nos dispusimos a dormir durante unas cuantas horas, rodeados de cestas para acarrear azufre, botellas de oxígeno para emergencias, lámparas de aceite y esculturas de azufre que los mineros esculpen para luego vender y ganarse un sobresueldo.

Once in our little miners room, we tried to get some sleep. Our accommodation that night wasn't a five star hotel, but a very basic lodging. No beds or mattress, just a layer of plastic and some sort of camping mat that was enough to help us not feel the bamboo floor during the night. The room had a basket used by the miners to carry sulfur rocks from the summit to the mountain base, emergency oxygen cans, improvised oil lamps and little trinkets owned by a miner. The temperature was cooler than usual considering we were on a mountain, just enough to have a pleasant non sweaty sleep.

Sobre las 4 de la mañana ya estábamos en pie. Comenzamos de nuevo el ascenso a la cima, esta vez bajo un cielo plagado de estrellas, y conforme nos íbamos acercando al cráter, las llamas azules se iban haciendo más y más visibles. Todo un espectáculo. Por supuesto, los mineros también estaban allí, transportando kilos y kilos de azufre de un lado a otro, de arriba abajo. Pueden llegar a cargar hasta 80 kg de peso sobre sus hombros, lo cuál no les convierte en superhéroes, sino en personas con la espalda completamente destrozada. Por otra parte, fue una lástima y una vergüenza ver como ciertos turistas trataban a estos trabajadores. Si, trabajadores, no monos de feria a los que hacer fotografías, para luego darles la espalda cuando te dirigen la palabra.

We slept for a few hours and woke up very early in the morning. It was time to walk to the sulfur mine to see the "blue flames" and one of those memorable sunrises that one never forgets. At the mines at one point were were shocked to see how the miners would walk with 80kg loaded on their "baskets" up and down the mountain, at the end, a hard job that gets paid relatively ok, despite the health hazards caused by the exposure to the toxic fumes and the heavy loads. Something we had seen as well in Potosi, Bolivia.

The saddest thing however, is how some people treat these workers as a tourist attraction and nothing more. We were shocked to see how some tourists took pictures of the miners while getting in their way and later completely ignoring them when they tried to strike a conversation to sell a small sulfur statue, (an obviously more beneficial job). 

Nos despedimos del volcán agotados, disfrutando de uno de los mejores amaneceres que hayamos visto y habiendo vivido una gran experiencia. Al bajar, nos despedimos de nuestros compañeros de campamento y del impresionante Ijen.

We said goodbye to the volcano, while the flames and fumes from the sulfur pits mixing with the sun rays breaking through the clouds, giving us not only a unique photo opportunity, but a memorable sunrise. We also said our final goodbye to our miner neighbors and walked down the mountain. We had been touched. Getting back to city wasn't as easy, but with patience, we managed to do it.

It wasn't only the beautiful scenario that surrounded us those days, but a great feeling to live something different. A unique experience without contracting an organized tour. We felt like we had managed to see something closer. So close that you can smell it, taste and feel it, like no one else has. It's these moments that make you feel alive and despite the fact that there are less comforts than usual, it makes the experience very unique and very worth it. Stepping out of your comfort zone just a bit can change your perspective of how you see things, but taking a giant leap out of that comfort zone can really make an impression, and change your life.

Cogimos un autobús nocturno hasta Yogyakarta. El olor a azufre que desprendían nuestras ropas debía ser tan fuerte, que nadie se acercó a nuestros asientos durante todo el viaje. Nos alojamos en un barrio con mucho carácter, en el centro de la ciudad. Callejuelas estrechas y laberínticas, casas con divertidos colores y diseños, y un buen ambiente. Visitamos el palacio del sultán; el "bird market", aunque en realidad se trata de un gran mercado con todo tipo de animales enjaulados a la venta, desde los más domésticos hasta los más salvajes; y el imponente templo de Borobudur, considerado el templo budista más grande del mundo y gran centro de peregrinaje. Recorrimos el templo durante horas y horas, maravillándonos antes los detallistas relieves que ilustran sus muros. Borobudur suele compararse con los templos de Siam Riap (Camboya), solo nos queda esperar y valorar cuál merece el título de más impresionante.

To finish off our little Java experience, we took an overnight bus to Yogya. We slept in the city center in the neighborhood of Sosrowijayan. A cool atmosphered part of town, with its small passages and corridors, giving out a distinct village feeling, but right in the heart of a city. All in all, it's a place that captures your attention, and time can fly by without noticing. In our hostel we met a great Italian couple from Naples. With them we talked for ages and wondered the streets of Yogya. The bird market, a variety of templets and the Sultan's Palace and one of the most amazing things that we could not miss: the buddhist temple of Borobudur. A huge buddhist temple built in the 9th century now located in a green, clean area just 40 minutes away from the city center. We can say that it is one of Java's biggest tourist attraction, hence the amount of visitors it has everyday. The temple is impressive, as is its entrance fee for foreign tourists, nevertheless its size and craftsmanship are worth admiring. We were lucky enough to take our time to take it all in and walk all the temple's levels and carved corridors. This is a temple that some people compare with Siam Riap, but we'll just have to wait and see it for ourselves. One way or another, all of us left the temple quite impressed.

Tras nuestra visita al templo, tuvimos la oportunidad de conocer una auténtica fábrica de tofu, de lo más casera. Los paisanos nos recibieron encantados y encantados nos comimos nosotros el tofu que les compramos. Hay que ver lo caro que está en Europa y lo barato que está en estos países.

To finish off the day, we managed to hitchhike to the nearby village of Karang. It was a last minute decision, but a grateful one at that. This village is famous for its tofu production. After a quick hitched ride and quick walk we found ourselves in the middle of a small local tofu "factory". Let's just say that the concept of a factory is a bit too much, as this place was a real traditional tofu production house. The owner was surprised from seeing the four of us there and was glad to show us all the steps to produce the vegetarian delight that so many europeans pay a fortune for. At one point we were able to buy a few kilos of tofu at an excellent "factory" price. A great snack/lunch after a whole day of discovering Borobudur. The workers had time to take pictures with us and have a basic little chat in bahasa Indonesia. At the end we can say that this little improvised move almost delighted us more than the temple itself. The authenticity of the place, the reaction of the owners and the possibility to eat fresh tofu was a unique, non touristic experience. Like the Ijen, the tofu experience, permitted us to immerse ourselves in the local life and feel far away from the beaten backpacker path. Even if it was for a day.

Nuestra visa estaba a punto de terminar y puesto que nuestro plan era llegar hasta Sumatra, no nos quedaba otra que volar. Orangutanes, jungla y elefantes nos esperaban en esta nueva isla… 

After Yogya our visa time was running out and we still wanted to make it to Sumatra, but how. The only possibility was to fly. This wasn't our best, nor favorite option, but it seemed like the only option possible. Sumatra was coming up and with it the end of adventure in Indonesia. What would Sumatra be able to offer us. Orangutans, elephants, pristine Asian jungle? We would find out soon.