Sunrise over Bromo, above the clouds on Java
Before dawn, jeeps line up on the rim of the Tengger caldera in East Java to wait for the light. The first sun hits Batok, the extinct cone in the foreground, and picks out every ridge on its slopes. Behind it, Semeru, Java's highest volcano, rises above a layer of cloud that fills the valleys. Bromo itself smokes quietly beside them in a sea of volcanic sand. This post covers getting there from Surabaya or Malang, where to stand at Penanjakan for the view, the walk across the sand sea to Bromo's crater, and what to pack for a morning that starts near freezing and ends in tropical heat.
The rest of this post is still being written.