Beep beep beep
The alarm ringing at the normal time for my head to hit the pillow, woke me from my dazing sleep which I’d been drifting in and out of for the last two hours. But that was all the sleep I was going to get because the knock at the door told me there was coffee outside and that the driver would be here in 15 minutes. I’ve become much more acquainted with early mornings in recent months, between flights, buses and expeditions, but coffee at midnight is a new one for me.
15 Minutes later I stood outside wrapped in as many layers as I could and consequently sweating, it’s Indonesia and it’s still in the high 20s, but the excessive clothing would come in handy later.
We climbed the climbed the winding road up to base camp where we were greeted by more coffee and banana fritters. Before we set off on foot we were kitted out with gas masks and head lamps.
The closer we got to the crater the more we needed the gas masks to help us breathe easier and to muffle the intense sulphurous odour.
In the dark our way wasn’t clear and suddenly we found ourselves engulfed by surfer gases. It was suffocating the gas mask wasn’t sufficient, it stung our eyes and clogged our throats as we quickly looked for an escape. Coughing as we emerged out of the worst of the gases we caught our breath before beginning again, this time a better route.
Not far from the suffocating sulphur we found what we’d trekked all that way in the dark for. The famous blue fire! It was gently licking the side of volcano, flickering away, a brilliant blue light surrounded by darkness and smoke.
As dawn broke and daylight crept up on our surroundings, the wows just kept coming. As we climbed out of the crater and on to the ridge of the mountain the rising sun lit up the most incredibly beautiful and awe-inspiring views.
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