The Tenggerese

 

They are the Tenggerese, known to be the descendants of the Majapahit princes. At the foot of Mount Bromo, you will see quite a number of them, offering tourists a horse’s ride uphill to the staircase which leads to the top of Mount Bromo. And the service doesn’t come cheap. It cost about 30,000 Rupiah to 60,000 Rupiah normally, depends on how hard you bargain. But it’s actually not a difficult task to reach the crater of Mount Bromo. People take the horse’s ride more for the experience I guess.

Traditionally, they are nomadic herders. But in modern times, they no longer stay in the wild. Settlements are established and tourism spurs the development around the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park. Tourism is the most important source of revenue for the locals.

 

 

 

 

For Tenggerese who work as a trekking guide or Jeep driver, they normally start the day early at 3 am. They need to send tourists who come from every corner of the earth to the peak of Mount Bromo or Mount Penanjakan by 5 am, so that they will be able to catch the spectacular sunrise over the mountains. As for the horsemen, they are usually covered from top to toe. In the early morning, it will be chilling. As the temperature could easily drop to zero degree celsius during the winter. And during the day and noon time, sunburn could pose a serious threat. I learned my lesson to be able to tell you this. So, cover yourself properly and wear a hat when you go trekking next time!

 

He/She is handsome!

Sunrise over Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park? No luck!

(A panorama of Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park, formed by stitching 2 photos)

 

We were all embracing ourselves against the wet and cold climate on the top of Mount Penanjakan. It was probably 4:45 a.m. and we could hardly see each other’s face. I couldn’t differentiate whether it was drizzling or the whole area was just covered with thick  mist. We were all standing at an altitude of 2,770m. It’s not the highest point of Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park, but it’s the best place to see the sunrise and one of the most iconic images of Indonesia — a spectacular view of the serene Mount Batok, the steaming Mount Bromo and the erupting Mount Semeru, all sitting on a plateau surrounded by mountain ranges covered in lush greens. But only could be seen during ideal weather condition for sure! And I guess all of us just didn’t have the luck that morning. Sky was brightening, but visibility was still low. From the top of Mount Penanjakan, we hardly see anything below.

The sun had already risen over the horizon, and tourists were leaving one by one. Most tourists proceeded to the next destination — the crater of Mount Bromo, in much disappointment, I guessed.

When our jeep was descending the mountain, the view got better, but still misty. The panoramic photo above was taken at that point of time, after much post-processing. The weather was just terribly bad to take a crisp clear image. Original image lacks clarity. It was a dull and foggy morning. But be assured that what’s coming up soon will be far more interesting, both the journey and the photos!