The news came as a bit of a shock.
We had just travelled for 24+ hours—from Thessaloniki, in Greece, to Malang, in Indonesia. After one night’s sleep, we were informed that the trip to Mt Bromo would begin at 12.15am the next morning so that we could catch the sunrise over one of Indonesia’s active volcanoes. Yikes.
The beauty of place
And so it came to pass! Up and up, then down and down, before up and up again—until the five of us reached Penanjakan (9000′) at about 5am, in time for a cup of tea.
Don’t be too impressed. The ups and downs were all done in a jeep, with the viewpoint just a ten minute walk from that cup of tea. Cloudy skies dulled the sunrise a bit, but the view was spectacular—and reminiscent of the climb up Mt Sinai a few years ago.
Mt Bromo is the one from which the smoke/steam is rising. You can just see the walkway, and then the 254 steps (yes, I counted them!), up to the rim—but, here, let me try and give you a closer view.
The rim of the volcano was to be our next stop. So we descended down to the flat, parked the jeep near that white line (a row of shops) and headed up to the rim—all the time with views back to Mt Penanjakan.
The stairs, the final stage of the walk, are just visible in this photo on the way…
An active volcano is loud, sounding like the crashing waves at the ocean.
Impressive though the volcano was, it was the stark change in scenery that impacted me the most. In New Zealand language, the black sand of Piha was exchanged for the verdant green of the Waikato in a mere 20 minutes, with the turn of a corner.
There was more scenery to enjoy as we descended from Mt Bromo. I grew up with the terraced fields of the Himalayas, but never before have I seen such fields layered into such steep hillsides as we encountered on this drive. I am not sure I was fully satisfied with the answers to my question, “What happens when the monsoon-like rains come?”
The beauty in people
While the beauty in creation can be spectacular, it never quite matches the beauty in the new creation.
What a lot of fun we had with Dwi, Hamdani and Hendra—each one at the heart of some aspect of the Langham Preaching ministry. Dwi is the Director for all of Asia & South Pacific; Hamdani is the preaching movement coordinator for Indonesia; and Hendra is developing as a preacher and facilitator-trainer in the Indonesia work, and beyond.
On the way home, we had lunch with Andrew and Raymond, active as facilitators in the Malang area.
We first spoke of taking this trip before COVID-19 messed up the world. We wanted to visit Dwi in her home-place (Malang), rather than just going to her work-place (Bandung) each time. As it turned out, we were able to stay with her mother, as well as meet her brother and sister and members of their families. In the end we saw two home-places, with the first photo taken in Dwi’s mother’s current home—and the second photo taken at the home where Dwi grew up, just a few minutes away.
nice chatting
Paul
PS: Sadly—or, maybe fortunately(!)—the soundtrack accompanying the following Bollywood item was not preserved for posterity.
About Me
the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.
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I love these glimpses into your travels, Paul 🙂
Thanks, Heather.
Amazing adventures, Paul. I remember feeling the same looking down into the crater of active Mt Aso in Kyushu, Japan. Scary. Praise the Lord for time spent with dear colleagues like Dwi. No doubt your visit to her home and family meant a huge amount to her and to you all–just like your earlier get-together in Greece with colleagues across Europe.
Thanks, Peter. Hope you are both doing well and encouraged with the response to your book, after your various travels. Happy Christmas.
Reminded me of looking over the rim of Whakaari White Island 12 months before it erupted! Glad to see you are blogging on the Art of Unpacking again! I’ve missed your insightful and provocative posts!
Whakaari White Island did come to mind a few times during the day, Ken.
Happy Christmas to you and yours and thanks for the response to the blog :).
late to the party of this particular post – it is pure joy reading it (not sure I’d feel the same if I’d have lived through the late night/early morning drive!)
thanks for writing so well… when’s the book?
Yes, Bromo was spectacular and enjoyed with wonderful company as well.
Hope you and Ines are doing well — lots of memories, as we travelled through India this time. We visited ten cities, with Jodhpur being the only new one for me.
See you soon, I hope.
Paul
Wow! What an interesting post, Paul 🙂 Thank you for taking us with you.
Happy New Year to you and Barby!