The beauty of Rubiah Island, Aceh, Indonesia

As we approach the gorgeous Pulau Rubiah, Aceh

The water surrounding the island is stunningly beautiful

 

I feed the fish with bread and here they come!

While searching for places to stay on Weh, we found Freddies and Iboih Inn which are equally comparable in terms of their beautiful surrounding.  But we decided to take Iboih Inn as it is close to Pulau Rubiah. From Iboih Inn, this tiny remote island is pretty close and visible. It took us about 15 to 20 minutes to get there.  No electricity on Rubiah, no hotels or any accommodations for tourists. Most people would do a day trip and return to the near by Weh island on the same day.

I heard so much about Rubiah Island and they say,  it's the divers heaven. As our boat approached the island, the pristine turquoise water, the green jungle and white sandy beach caught us speechless. It's amazingly beautiful! The many people in the water will not disturbed you since everyone is busy dipping their heads in the water. Snorkeling or diving are the two most popular activities here. 

The mesmerizing underwater kept everyone busy paddling to enjoy the superb view.  If you're tired of swimming and paddling in the water, then just sit in the shallow water near the beach, throw some bread and the fish will come for you.

The locals complained that the corals were destroyed during the 2004 Tsunami but still Rubiah's beauty is enthralling.  Can't imagine what was it like before the tsunami.  After the water activities, we had tea and grilled fish just before returning to Iboih. Of course the fish come from other parts of the deeper sea and not around these Islands.  No one is allowed to catch fish for food or fun around Rubiah and Weh Islands. It's forbidden to protect the underwater lives.  

The white sandy beach

The fish enjoying my bread

A local girl joins the tourists

Snorkeling very close to the beach

Forever hungry :)

Just sit under the tree and enjoy the view

Posing for the camera

The local girls swim like mermaids :)

Everyone is busy with their own activities

 

The boat man sends the tourists and picks them before dark

You enjoy the underwater from above

The Beautiful World's Largest Acidic Volcanic Crater Lake Ijen - Bondowoso, East Java, Indonesia

The largest acidic volcanic crater lake in the world

We're in Paltuding - 3 km to go

We told Hasbullah, we will be starting our journey after fajar which is about 4.15 am. No hurry, I told him since we're not going after the blue flame. He nodded his head faithfully. In the dark, our jeep hit the bumpy, rough, narrow roads with potholes. At about 5.15 am we arrived in Paltuding (1,850m above sea level), the base and starting point before the 3 km climb to Ijen Crater. Ijen Crater or Kawah Ijen is 2,799m and for us the 3 km hike is a struggle! 

A serious sign board to remind climbers

The signboard says, people with asthma, heart diseases and hypertension are prohibited from climbing the crater. You really do not know what to expect when you're in the crater. The wind can be dangerous if it blows the sulfuric fumes towards you but if you're lucky it will puff towards the opposite direction.   Hasbullah, our driver, bade goodbye and told us to take our time and not to rush the hike up the mountain. 

The sulfur at rest while the miner makes a turn back for another load

Walking about 100 meters we could feel the escalating gradient. This is going to be difficult I thought.  One of the miners stopped to greet us and we chatted him.  He introduced himself as Sur (Suryanto), and instantly, we hired him as our guide for the day but he put no price for his service. He carried our knapsacks, put our water bottles and jackets in his baskets and he walked with us. The first 2 km was hard but our determination kept us going! 

Huge chunks of sulfur

Along the way we saw several baskets loaded with sulfur at rest. We were told that the owner had made a turn back for another load of sulfur. A strategy  to get the sulfur out of the crater as early as possible before the sulfuric smokes get thicker approaching midday. Our conversation had somehow helped us managed the climb and along the way Sur told us a story of how the miners once carried an old lady who wanted to see Kawah Ijen badly. 

Mount Merapi behind us - this is a different Merapi found in Central Java

It is extremely dangerous if one falls or gets hurt along the track. He also told us many people made a turn back after few hundred meters.  We were elated after the struggle to arrive at the first station which meant we have made it to the first 2 km. We had a brief stop at the station, which is actually a small shack which sells coffee and very simple breakfast. The cafe is also the first weighing post where all miners weigh their loads of sulfurs. Take their note and walk another 2 km to the Paltuding station.

Mount Raung just next to Mount Merapi at the background

While it takes the fittest person to ascend Ijen crater in one hour, we did it in two hours and most people did the whole journey in 3 hours and we took five hours :)!  Never mind, we made it and we didn't make or ever thought of a turn back. Once the first 2 km is over, the mesmerizing view is worth all the troubles. The path began to get scenic and we made several stops for photographs. With Mount Merapi and Raung behind us, we can't help turning our heads occasionally to catch a glimpse of the mountains. 

Soon we came to the flattest part of the mountain with a massive view of the caldera laid perfectly before our eyes.  We forgot about our aching feet and trembling knees. The stunning view just took our breath away  We saw the three girls in our group neatly tucked on the slope of the mountain taking a rest.  At about 10 am the wind starts to spread the acidic sulfuric smokes across wider area and by 2 pm access to the crater is closed as hiking is impossible with thick smokes covering the crater. 

Landscape at the rim of the crater

Glad we made it!

Stratovolcano - last eruption in 1999

A worker at the edge of the lake

Water source for river Banyupahit - making it highly acidic and metal polluted

The path down the crater

The sulfur miners exposed to the dangerous sulfur smokes daily

The rocky 'path' the miners climb every day

From the other side of the crater we watched the miner

A miner at rest with his load just after the ascend from the crater

The corrosive blue green water 

Tourists who successfully made up to the top

Beautiful landscape with hardly any vegetation surviving here

The unusual beauty that outweighs the risks

The miner's walk produces the squeaking sound of the bamboos basket, 

The rest point at the mid-way of the journey

A Visit to Fossil Factory - Rissani, Morocco

The rocks are wet with water to make the fossilized critters visible

The fossils in the rock become visible when splash with water

Rissani is a remote desert town in eastern Morocco, near Erfoud and according to the 2004 population census, it had about 20,000 people then. It is not far from Erg Chebbi, the magnificient desert.  After traveling a few miles in the region of Er-Rachidia, we made a brief stop at one of the fossil factory to see some interesting fossil crafts which will actually make very nice souvenirs to carry home.  They make all sorts of goods from small figurines, ash trays, plates, mugs and  to huge items such as tables, sinks, bathrooms  and home decorative items.  

The guide explained that the desert area of Morocco was once a sea more than 400 million years ago.  When the sea receded, the critters died and later became fossilized.  Today the fossilized rocks are mined and it becomes a growing popular industry in this part of Morocco. Some of us bought pendents, rings and very small items as souvenirs - anything bigger than that can be quite heavy to take home.  You also need to be careful with the authenticity of the fossilized products as there have been instances where fake fossilized items made from cement and shaped in moulds are mistaken for real. 

Trilobite Fossil

Several artifacts made from fossil stones

Fossilized Squids

They call it - Desert Rose

Moroccan Amonite

The guide showed us some fossil stone blocks

Beautiful plate from fossil rock