From time to time, rather than focusing on my daily walk, I’d like to share with you accounts of some of my earlier adventures. Most will be about experiences which happened in my youth, but occasionally they’ll be about more recent adventures, such as today’s account of an adventure which took place in Indonesia in 2018.
I know that many Australians are familiar with Bali, which, I agree, is a beautiful and enchanting island, but there are many other islands and places to see in Indonesia. I realise that I’ve been very fortunate to have been able to travel to some of these, first during my seafaring years and then, much later, on business trips and on holidays with Sue.
Like many older Dutch people, from a very young age I have read articles and books about the history of the former Dutch colony, Nederlands Indië. These recount the struggles of the Indonesian people which eventually led to their freedom and the establishment of their own independent country. It’s therefore not surprising that, as a teenager, I became fascinated by the history, the exotic pictures and the music (which included a style of music known as “kronjong”) of these faraway islands.
Since then, I’ve always had a special love for Indonesia and the Indonesian people. I hope, in future posts, to tell you about my travels there on pilgrim ships (cargo ships with over 1000 deck passengers) and about the places on Java and elsewhere in the archipelago which I have visited.
Today my story is about the eastern part of the island of Java. I first set my sight upon some of the seaports in that part of Indonesia back in 1956. Yes, that’s 67 years ago, when I was still working as an assistant hofmeester on Dutch ships. On my first voyage there, our ship had to take on some cargo from the port of Probolinggo and from some of the other ports in east Java.
The countryside in this part of Indonesia is very lush and beautiful. At the impressionable age of 20 I was overwhelmed by what I saw of this tropical environment. I would have loved to have gone ashore but there wasn’t enough time to do so, because we stayed in Probolinggo for 1 day only. Had there been more time, it would have been possible to travel inland to the top of Gunung Bromo, an active volcano in the mountains behind the port. But it wasn’t until 63 years later, when I was holidaying on a Holland America Line cruise ship which visited this port, that I finally managed to do so.
On the 4th of February 2018, I finally succeeded in fulfilling my dream of climbing Mount Bromo. I joined a day-long excursion organised by the cruise company, which turned into an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime expedition. The only downside was that my wife Sue was not able to come with me, having to stay on the ship.
The group of passengers who elected to join this challenging excursion were assembled in the port area, from where we were picked up and driven by bus to the mountain village of Cemoro Lawang. It was a picturesque drive along winding roads and after we’d climbed a bit higher, the bus stopped at a lookout. This was where we first encountered the rain which was to stay with us, on and off, until our return to the ship.
Upon reaching the village we were transferred to four-wheel-drive jeeps which took us further up into the mountains. We stopped again at various viewpoints to admire the mountain panorama and to take photos. We also enjoyed a delicious Indonesian buffet lunch in a restaurant at one of the stops, which thankfully helped to fortify us to deal with the challenges ahead.
When the jeeps could go no further, things began to get a little more challenging. We got out and walked a short distance to where a group of horses were waiting for us. With the help of their owners (and with some difficulty) we were all able to mount our steeds. There were dozens of them, enough to cater for everyone in our group. Each was led by its Indonesian handler, and I felt quite ill at ease on mine, trying valiantly not to fall off, as we were taken on a slow but terrifying ride up the slopes of Mount Bromo, past slippery ledges, in very wet conditions. It seemed never ending and I felt that I had to hold on for dear life as we turned some of the corners and climbed the steep passages.
When we were finally able to dismount, I was desperately tired and could hardly remain standing. Most of my companions seemed to be in much better shape, but I don’t think that they were 82 years old! The final part of the ordeal (for me) was that we had to continue the rest of the way on foot, climbing to the rim of the crater. I don’t know how many steps there were, but they seemed to me to be endless! I know that I had to stop several times to catch my breath before I was able to reach the summit. Once I did reach the top, however, I felt as though I had conquered Mt Everest. Quite an amazing feeling!
The view down into the crater, however, was a little disappointing because of the rubbish which had been thrown there by some of the thousands of tourists who had visited this place before us. Nonetheless, it was a never-to-be-forgotten experience, having reached the top of this mountain, one of the largest volcanos of Java.
I returned to our cruise ship utterly exhausted, but very elated and satisfied. Meanwhile, the ship’s departure had had to be delayed, due to the weather conditions and the late arrival back of our bus. Darkness had long since fallen and Sue and most of the ship’s crew and passengers were anxiously awaiting our return. Understandably, Sue was very relieved and thankful to see me!
P.S. This is the last post for this year. Next year, we’ll start again on Sunday, 21 January and return to the Shorncliffe Pier with a story about drones over Moreton Bay.
If you feel bored during the Christmas holidays, why not re-read one or more of the earlier posts by looking at the “All the Stories” page, which is part of the Blog page on “walkandtalkat87.com”.
We wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year.
O.P.
Nice story Opa Piet!
Nice how you were able to return there. Happy holidays!
Your grandson,
Bjorn