The train from Kalibaru (Sri Tanjung) winds it’s way through jungles and rice paddies, heading north(ish) to Probolinggo on the coast. The tree lined streets and multitude of gold shops in this quite large town suggest a degree of prosperity. Beautiful clean streets, and a great restaurant, Sari Kuring. Mt Bromo is about 30 kilometres from here, and at 2am we are picked up by our driver for the ride up the mountain to watch the sunrise.

What a spectacle! Standing on the lip of the caldera and watching as Mounts Bromo, Semaru and others revealed themselves to the first light of day was well worth the effort. Jumped back into the 4WD for the steep drive back down into the caldera and across the black volcanic sand to the base of Mt Bromo. The climb to the lip is about 2 kilometres, and hard work, but so worth the effort. Standing on the lip and staring into the abyss reveals a steaming sulphurous crater.

Our driver then returns us to Probolinggo just in time to catch the Sri Tanjung (economy train) for the 7 hour journey to Yogjakarta.

The sector called Sosrowijayan is a jumble of boutique hotels, bars, restaurants, shops and hawkers and is a great atmosphere. Two nights here will give us a chance to do a short trip to Borobudur, 40 kilometres to the north east.