One benefit of being easily identified as a tourist is that you never need to search far for…well… most things really.

In this case, I had just finished lunch and needed to figure out how I was going to get to Mt. Bromo the next day.

A few online guides and AllTrails made it seem easy enough to walk there, but I was considering doing a few hikes that day and didn’t want to spend a lot of time walking on flat ground to get to the core of the volcano.

Jeep rentals / tours were the popular option, but it was just me, so a jeep seemed overkill, and I wanted the autonomy to go where and when I wanted.

So my options were a) rent a motorbike or b) hire a driver.

Thankfully, there were a few drivers camped out beside the restaurant where I had lunch.

After assessing the vibes of the drivers and having to reject a somewhat pushy driver who also followed me to my homestay, granted it was like a 3 min walk from the restaurant, and asked if I wanted to get drinks (I told him no and that I had a project I needed to work on; he then said he could help me with whatever project I had, and I laughed and walked away…hints are harder to take here apparently), I picked Yoshi, a 65-year-old man who I had met earlier.

Upon inquiring about a quote to Bromo (50k) and if he’d be up for meeting me at my homestay at 3:30 am to catch the sunrise at 5:26 am, we had arrangements.

The next morning at 3:18 am, I heard a motorbike outside my homestay.

And by 3:23 am Yoshi and I were off.

Thus started an adventure of a lifetime down dirt and winding paved roads with his barely illuminating motorbike light.

As we drove past the volcano core on the floor of the crater with the soft sand beneath us, I felt like we were traveling on another planet.

I also thought, “Interesting, we just passed the volcano core where I was imagining watching the sunrise from.”

But in Yoshi, we trust, so away we went.

Now, across the crater floor, we started on an asphalt road with a steep incline.

The engine of the motorbike grumbled, mainly under the weight of the American, who easily weighed 1.5x the driver.

Finally, we made it to the top.

It was still very dark out, only around 4 am at this point, but more jeeps began to arrive.

Which was comforting to me; this seemed to be the spot.

The street we were on was lined with shops, and locals were sitting by pots filled with burning wood.

We pulled up some stools and warmed ourselves by the fires with the shop owners, engaging in the customary smiles and name introductions.

Ten minutes later, a group of sweet girls, one of them an English teacher, arrived with their Jeep tour. After chatting for half an hour, we all decided to get breakfast at one of the local shops.

It was then that I learned Indonesians love their instant ramen and charging anyone who looks like a tourist 6x the local price.

However, it wasn’t all nickel and dime. I was adopted without qualms into the girls’ tour group, and we all walked 100 meters up the road to go to the viewpoint their guide recommended.

After watching the initial part of the sunrise, I realized that I much preferred the view across from breakfast that Yoshi had pointed out, so I said my goodbyes and headed over there.

After an hour or so, looking at the sunrise and saying hi to various very friendly Indonesians and tourists, I met up with Yoshi again, and we drove down to the base of the Bromo crater.

That drive was AWESOME.

The view from the road of the volcano was breathtaking with the clouds and sky glowing with the first breath of the sun. With the speed of every turn, I felt a new wave of energy and my smile widening.

When we made it to the base of the volcano, it was around 6 am, and there wasn’t a soul around.

Yoshi drove us to the base of the walking path; you can rent a horse near the base, but I told him I wanted to walk, how else am I supposed to get my steps in after all.

We then proceeded up a 15-minute fairly decent incline of soft dirt, which spits you out at the base of 70 stairs.

We headed up the stairs, Yoshi with lit cigarette in hand and only trailing a little behind me.

On our way up we passed maybe three other tourists who wanted a photo with the only white person they’d seen in who knows how long, and then reached the edge of the crater alone.

There are signs around the crater and a guide who was ensuring that no one walked around the perimeter. The edge of the crater has dissolved, and it’s a hazard.

Being at the top of Bromo was what you’d expect from an active volcano.

You feel very small.

You realize how toast you are if things went south.

You hear the sound of the water gurgling in a confident but not welcoming way.

You pinch yourself thinking “I’m on the edge of an active volcano?!”

We then walked down around 7 am, and at this point, the groups of tourists were forming near the base.

We had timed it perfectly and experienced the calm before the storm.

A few other tourists I met later said that their experience was a bit soiled by the crowds, so definitely go early.

Yoshi then dropped me off at my homestay, and the total cost of the excursions totaled to around 200k. More than what I thought but more than fair considering all we’d done + he waited for me the at each stop.

Good man, Yoshi.

Note: if you’re wanting to see the sunrise, I’d definitely recommend having someone drive you there during the darkness of the morning. If you wanted to take a longer walk, you could find your way really easily in the daytime to the crater; the viewing points around it, you’ll want to go by motorbike.