<div align="justify">The excitement in the air was palpable as we landed in Denpasar, Bali. We were keen on travelling to the offbeat, less explored part of Indonesia as the country has so much more to offer than just beaches and temples.<br /><br />From Denpasar, we took a short flight to Surabaya in East Java. Taking a cab, we arrived at a peaceful and scenic village called Cemoro Lawing, frequented by backpackers and also a good place for beautiful views of Mount Bromo. Mount Bromo (7,641ft) is an active volcano located in Tengger Semeru National Park.<br /><br />A bumpy jeep ride early in the morning on a winding muddy uphill path led us to Mount Panajakan where we would witness the sunrise over Mount Bromo. The sun rose spreading its golden glow over the landscape to dramatically reveal spectacular views of Mount Bromo. We could see smoke arising from within its caldera and also Mount Semeru which was spewing volcanic gases into the air, leaving us breathless at nature’s beauty.<br /><br />After a hot cup of delicious Balinese coffee, we headed towards Mount Bromo. We crossed a bed of volcanic black sand and started the ascent onto the crater rim. As we drew closer, the initial dull rumbling grew stronger. Once at the top, we could see smoke and dust being spewed outside from the crater’s belly into the air. It reminded us of mother nature’s fury and the volcanic gases rising from inside was a humbling experience for us. Next, we had a short pitstop at the beautiful Madakaripura Waterfall. The water gushes out of a spherical opening on the top of a tall cave giving it a very magical aura.<br /><br />We headed further to reach a place called Sempol where we stayed at a homestay to visit Kawah Ijen. We woke up early in the morning excitedly anticipating a glimpse of the famous blue fire. It is a phenomenon where sulphuric gases released by the volcano ignite to send electric blue flames in the air. With slight nervousness, we moved towards the point and then we saw it — a beautiful blue flare looking majestic and dangerous at the same time. <br /><br />With the arrival of the sun, we were welcomed to stunning views of Kawah Ijen, the world’s largest acidic lake. It is a one kilometre wide beautiful lake which is turquoise in colour owing to the high concentration of sulphuric acid.<br /><br /> We filled our eyes with the beauty of the lake and dragged ourselves away before heading towards Ubud. We explored the artsy streets and the lush green stretches of rice fields along with numerous stone temples at Ubud. <br /><br />After all the adventure over the past few days, it was time for a relaxing stay at Bali’s luxurious yet surprisingly affordable villas. We pampered ourselves with the famous Balinese massages and gorged on delicious tropical fruits. As we boarded the flight to return home, we made a promise to ourselves to visit this slice of heaven on earth again very soon!<br /><br /><br />(The author can be contacted at sindhoorhathwar@gmail.com)</div>
<div align="justify">The excitement in the air was palpable as we landed in Denpasar, Bali. We were keen on travelling to the offbeat, less explored part of Indonesia as the country has so much more to offer than just beaches and temples.<br /><br />From Denpasar, we took a short flight to Surabaya in East Java. Taking a cab, we arrived at a peaceful and scenic village called Cemoro Lawing, frequented by backpackers and also a good place for beautiful views of Mount Bromo. Mount Bromo (7,641ft) is an active volcano located in Tengger Semeru National Park.<br /><br />A bumpy jeep ride early in the morning on a winding muddy uphill path led us to Mount Panajakan where we would witness the sunrise over Mount Bromo. The sun rose spreading its golden glow over the landscape to dramatically reveal spectacular views of Mount Bromo. We could see smoke arising from within its caldera and also Mount Semeru which was spewing volcanic gases into the air, leaving us breathless at nature’s beauty.<br /><br />After a hot cup of delicious Balinese coffee, we headed towards Mount Bromo. We crossed a bed of volcanic black sand and started the ascent onto the crater rim. As we drew closer, the initial dull rumbling grew stronger. Once at the top, we could see smoke and dust being spewed outside from the crater’s belly into the air. It reminded us of mother nature’s fury and the volcanic gases rising from inside was a humbling experience for us. Next, we had a short pitstop at the beautiful Madakaripura Waterfall. The water gushes out of a spherical opening on the top of a tall cave giving it a very magical aura.<br /><br />We headed further to reach a place called Sempol where we stayed at a homestay to visit Kawah Ijen. We woke up early in the morning excitedly anticipating a glimpse of the famous blue fire. It is a phenomenon where sulphuric gases released by the volcano ignite to send electric blue flames in the air. With slight nervousness, we moved towards the point and then we saw it — a beautiful blue flare looking majestic and dangerous at the same time. <br /><br />With the arrival of the sun, we were welcomed to stunning views of Kawah Ijen, the world’s largest acidic lake. It is a one kilometre wide beautiful lake which is turquoise in colour owing to the high concentration of sulphuric acid.<br /><br /> We filled our eyes with the beauty of the lake and dragged ourselves away before heading towards Ubud. We explored the artsy streets and the lush green stretches of rice fields along with numerous stone temples at Ubud. <br /><br />After all the adventure over the past few days, it was time for a relaxing stay at Bali’s luxurious yet surprisingly affordable villas. We pampered ourselves with the famous Balinese massages and gorged on delicious tropical fruits. As we boarded the flight to return home, we made a promise to ourselves to visit this slice of heaven on earth again very soon!<br /><br /><br />(The author can be contacted at sindhoorhathwar@gmail.com)</div>
