Burano is most definitely a “Kodachrome” location. The colours and locations are so fabulous, one could spend hours, if not days, shooting here.

“Burano is also known for its small, brightly-painted houses, popular with artists. The colours of the houses follow a specific system originating from the golden age of its development; if someone wishes to paint their home, one must send a request to the government, who will respond by making notice of the certain colours permitted for that lot.”

There are two main types: the full-face mask is known as the “bauta”, while the other is the half mask, covering only the eyes, known as the “Columbina”.

And as I looked up Wikipedia, here is something that surprised me – “The earliest direct evidence of cat domestication is a kitten that was buried alongside a human 9,500 years ago in Cyprus.”

Kawah Ijen nestles within the sheer volcano walls of Gunung Ijen (2,386m) in the Ijen Plateau, and the landscape is dominated by two other volcanoes – Merapi (2,800m, not to be confused with the one near Jogja) and Raung (3,332m). Ijen is currently quiet but considered still active.

The sulphur collectors (some of whom are as old as 60), like the tourists, start their trek up and down to Kawah Ijen from Pos Paltuding, the check-post located at an elevation of 1,850m.

The 3 km trail to the crater rim of Ijen is quite well laid out but is steep. I didn’t realize how badly out of shape I am – it took me two hours to get to the top, with frequent stops to catch my breath along the way.

Pic: a man carrying his empty cane baskets on the way up.

Pic: the weighing station and rest area 2 km up to the crater rim.

Pic: the sheer crater walls of Ijen

Pic: tourists take in the magnificent Kawah Ijen as smoke billows out and obscures part of the lake.

Pic: this is what it is all about – the sulphur cakes that are collected from the lake and carried down to Pos Paltuding.

From the crater rim, it is another kilometer down to the lake.

Pic: sulphur smoke billowing from the volcano vents at the lake.

Pic: for some it is pleasure and a photo opportunity, for others a way to scrape a living. Collectors with their loads on the trek back from the lake.

Pic: the crater rim

Pic: a man weighs his load at the weighing station en route. This one was 83 kg.

Men carrying sulphur loads of 80+ kg. are common. They make two trips a day, some daily, most on alternate days. Some are as old as 60 years. And for what? They get paid a paltry 600 Rupiah per kg, which is about 7 US cents per kg.

Pic: a man puts down his load for a breather.

Pic: where it all ends.

Imagine a huge bowl mashed into the surface of the earth – 10 kms across from one end of a diameter to the other, and 2,770m at the highest point. This is the Tengger caldera, the crater of a long dead volcano. The sides are steep and the floor – known as the Sand Sea, or Laotian Pasir in Bahasa) is volcanic sand, black with the ash mixed in from countless eruptions over the years. Vegetation has taken hold in significant patches of the fertile soil of the Sand Sea.

Over the years, I suspect well before mankind evolved, countless upheavals in the Pacific “Ring of Fire” gave birth to four volcanos, bang in the centre of this bowl – Batok (2,440m), Kursi (2,581m), Semeru, the highest one of Java’s mountains and volcanoes at 3,676m, and finally, Bromo, the smallest one.

Pic: a view of the Tengger caldera from Penanjakan Dua. The one smoking is Bromo, the one in the foreground is Batok, the one behind it and to the right is Kursi, and the tallest one in the background is Semeru.

Pic: smoldering Bromo, Batok and Kursi, with the Sand Sea in the foreground.

Bromo holds deep religious significance to the Hindu Tenggers who inhabit the region. At the foot of Bromo is a Hindu temple, still used for religious ceremonies by the Tenggers.

Pic: The Hindu temple with the smoldering Bromo in the background.

Bromo and Semeru are currently still active. In fact, as I write this, Bromo has been erupting and spewing ash 1 km or more high into the sky, and showering ash 15 to 40 cms deep onto the surrounding areas, including the access road to Cemoro Lawang.

Pic: Bromo from the Cemara Indah Hotel, which is perched on the edge of the crater lip of Cemoro Lawang.

Pic: Children play unconcerned as Bromo spews ash into the sky. View from the Probolinggo – Mojokerto road.

In safe times, one can climb the 253 steps to the top of Bromo and get fantastic views down into the crater, but at the moment of writing this is off limits due to the safety zone being enforced by the officials. The best views of the crater, particularly at sunrise weather permitting, are from Penanjakan, the highest point at 2,770m on the outer crater rim.

Pic: Sunrise over the Tengger caldera from Penanjakan.

Getting there
Bromo is a little out of way and takes some time and effort to reach, but this makes the trip all the more worthwhile. The only way to reach Bromo is by road. The most common starting point is Jogja, the drive from here takes 10 hours or so – first to Probolinggo and the final stretch climbing the hills to the top of the crater lip at Cemoro Lawang. From Cemoro Lawang, it is about a 3 km walk down the crater wall and across the Sand Sea to the foot of Bromo.

Anyway, here is the next image in the Thaipusam series.

The first one is a panoramic picture of the Singapore skyline at night, stitched together from 3 separate pictures shot at the same time.