We arrived at Yoschi’s Hotel in Cemoro Lawang the night before, around 7PM. The guy at the reception told us we we have to wake up the next day at 3AM for breakfast. At exactly 4AM, a jeep will drive us up to the viewpoint of Tengger Caldera. So we ate Sandi’s mom’s packed food that we brought for dinner and went straight to bed.

3:15 AM, we heard our ‘wake-up knock’. We dressed as warm as possible, I had three layers of clothes on. The viewpoint we’re heading to first is atop Mt. Penanjakan (2,770m), located north of the caldera.

Temperatures can drop to zero in the summer, so after breakfast we rented extra (super thick) jackets at the reception for 20,000 Rp a piece. Shervin and I made fun of ourselves. He got a jacket with faux fur on the hood, and I got an 80s-style one which would have been used by a granny back in the days.

Six of us were squeezed in the jeep. Initially, we wanted the tour which will only take us to the jump off trail to Gunung Bromo. The travel agent convinced us to join the jeep ride up the viewpoint, then down the trail to the volcano for an extra 100,000 Rp each. We’re glad we did because the view was breathtaking at sunrise.

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.pinaytraveljunkie.com/2009/09/gunung-bromo.html