So after the bust of Valentines Day, I had another chance the next day going to one of the most romantic places (the honey moon capital of Bali). I would title this day the day of 3 kilometers. We had a second chance at the sunrise thing, this time at a place that many people recommended, Ijen Crater, a volcano with an acid lake that people carry baskets of sulfur from. So we got up early again and took a much shorter drive through the rainforest to the crater. It was a beautiful day and we arrived about the time the sunrise was coming, so nice. We started the hike up after seeing the sign that read 3km. That is not too bad, 1.8 miles in the early morning on a path. We started our leisurely stroll with the vibrant colors around us and the mystic mountains in a thin veil of fog and there seemed like nothing that could deter this day.

Birds were chirping and we talked and walked uphill for quite some time and I was sure we were almost there--Patty was ready to say this is good enough let's go back. I reassured her, we were almost there. Along the way, we encountered many men carrying their containers of sulfur down the path (90 kg or so). Each asked the same questions, photo? buy some sulfur? cigarattes, where you from? etc. Did we get up this early to walk to my death was her next comment. I reassured, I am sure it is just over that hill. We made it to the top and yet more hills straight upwards. Finally we made it to an exposed area where you could see straight down the mountain and the only thing that saved her from giving up was that we could see a lodge with workers from the mine. This definitely must be it, so we strode with purpose towards it only to be shown another path that led up another mountain. Was this going to be worth it, if it was only another crater that smelled like sulfur? We had made it so far already so we continued onwards with reluctance and that reluctance turned to dismay as we almost got there.

The first wave of sulfur gases steamed out of the crater and almost knocked us off the mountain. We had not brought a scarf or anything to cover our faces, though we had tried. We bartered with a woman in the market for a 10 cent piece of fabric that she wanted $5 for--I almost died but her friends had a great laugh as we bartered back and forth in Bahasa Indonesian. I always make it a point to learn the numbers in each language just for shopping purposes. So we were only with our shirts hiked up over our mouths and noses trying to endure this horrid smell that instantly gave you a headache and seemed to burn your nose, eyes and exposed skin. But these men do this everyday, so not to be outdone I decided to do it. I was going to go out into the fog and go down to the bottom of the crater. Patty stayed back to watch out for me and worry.

There was reason to worry, as the path across was very narrow and went straight down into the acid lake on one side and off the top of the mountain on the other. Most of this journey across was done in white out conditions (not snow as I am accustomed) but with gagging sulfuric acid fog. Luckily I could follow the men with baskets who knew the path well and made it across to the entrance to the pit of sulfur. From there the walk down was on rocks that seemed to be half-hazardously placed and made me feel like I was going to slip all the way down. Along the way, the fog cleared at times and I was able to see the most spectacular sights of the crater walls, the blueish acid lake and all of the people working virtually right next to the lake of acid. I was going to make it.

As I walked through the fog again, I heard someone call out in abnormally good English, where are you from? I looked around and saw another foreigner and said America and we started talking about travels, which changed to geology and the mud volcanoes in Surabaya and we talked for quite some time until I remembered Patty atop likely worrying about my death in the crater lake. So I continued downwards until there was a ledge and took some pictures, but by now I was sure it had been over an hour and this was supposed to romantic time together, so I headed back. Maybe she had passed out from the noctous gasses, so I rushed up the paths and ran across the narrow pathway and there she was taking and being part of numerous pictures with strangers. One of the tasks of being a foreigner in Asia, many people want you to be in their pictures. At about that time, we found the sign for elevation 3200m (2 miles high). We had walked the entire path uphill.

Surely the path downhill would be much easier and faster. The weather got warmer and the sulfur fog got stronger as we walked down, but we could walk easily downhill. About halfway down, a woman with her infant child tied on her waist grabbed ahold of Patty's hand as we walked past. This started another of the interesting conversations with a little language knowledge on both of our parts. Good thing Esther and Judy had taught me a little Bahasa, so we talked with a little of her language and her little English. She was from Java and her name was Sri from an Indian family though Muslim as a majority of those in Java are. It was a fun, slow walk down but full of blessings unexpected. Her daughter was the cutest thing, so we got a picture together and we gave her our information so maybe she will contact us again. Always fun to meet people along the journey. Maybe today would indeed be better than the Valentines Day fiasco...but it was still only 9 am. Bali was next and that certainly could not disappoint. I will finish the day of 3 kilometers in the next blog--it is a long day, and definitely unexpected.