Hey guys!
Sorry for lack in updates. I just came back from Indonesia and I initially wanted to post this video on FB. Then, I realize that "Hey, why not blog about it and let everyone know about this?" According to Hendra (Indonesian), blue fire is a rare phenomena which only happens in Ijen Crater and Mexico.
Blue fire is resulted from the combustion of liquid sulphur with fire. The molten sulphur burns after it drips from the stone and ceramic pipes that have condensed the sulphuric gases from the volcano into liquid. This will then cool down and harden to yellow block so that it will be collected by the miners.
We realize that it is a very good opportunity to do the blue fire trip together with the sunrise trip. The only down side is we have to start the journey at 1am in the morning! We reach the base at around 1:40am and start hiking. You will definitely need a good pair of shoes and lots of clothes and the temperature is pretty low. You might need a walking stick to gain some support as the slope is pretty steep. To witness blue fire and sunrise, you will need to hire a local guide as it is pretty dangerous to hike in the dark. However, no guide is needed if you decide to hike during the day.
We were told that the entrance fee is Rp 27,000 but they made us pay Rp50,000 each. I'm not sure if this is a tourist scam or we have to pay extra because of the blue fire. By the way, we are already paying Rp200,000 extra per person in addition to the tour (Rp500,000). The tourist who joined 3D2N Bromo+Ijen tour paid only Rp650,000 (Transportation and hotel included). I definitely paid extra than the rest but it was worth it!
I didn't get to take good pictures as the sulphur smoke keep coming out from the lake. But here's a short video taken by using Canon Ixus 100.
More sunrise post will be coming up next! I promise!
