Qigong Mountanous Retreat - Day 3 at Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo ( Midget Volcanoe ). On day 3 we travelled some 3hrs before we reached our hotel Cemera Indah to see and scale Mt Bromo. Along the way the scenic mountain view was panoramic and the height breath taking. Villages along the route were well developed and rest houses were plentiful. We chose Cemera Indah hotel as it sits at the edge of the crater and has full view of Bromo including the Hindu temple and the track leading to the top of Bromo

Mount Bromo ( Midget Volcanoe ). Mount Bromo 2392m high is dwaft compared to the other volcanoes in Indonesia. It is however still active and is easily accessable to both young and old. With little ponies and horses for a short ride and a steep climb up some 200 steps, Mt Bromo is a challenge to the normal person. For the super fit, climbing Bromo is likened to a morning stroll. Watching sunrise with Mount Bromo fuming away and Cemera Lawang at its backdrop and a seasand of some 10km, it is a romantic scenery. With its cold climatic condition, visitors are attracted to this tourist attraction year round. It is best to avoid weekend .

On arrival , while Samantha and Patrice can't wait to ride a horse around the farmland, Gek Hoon was testing out the Qi . Michelle joined in during moonrise and confirmed that the Yin Qi was overwhelmng.

SUNSET. On Mt Bromo , the opportunity to watch a beautiful sunset is always there. With Mt Bromo in the foreground, a good camera would have been a joy for the avid cameraman.

Sunset and gearing up with warm clothing for next morning is a must to avoid catching a cold. Temperature goes down to single digit . Watching sunrise will have to be aborted if it rains in the Morning.




Mount Bromo fuming away just before sunrise.




" With The Rising Of The Sun And It's Going Down The Same ........... the Lord's Name Is to Be Praised"



Going for Bromo's Sunrise experience. The wake up call is at 3am and the jeep, mostly 40 years old and beyond, will take off before 4am. Takes about an hour to reach the viewing point at Gunung Penanjakanat 2770m high and some 20km away from our hotel. It is advisable to be properly equipped with sufficient warm clothing as weather tends to get around 10 degrees between 3am and 5am. It is also necessary to be early as the sun rise very quickly once it appears. Depending on the time of the year sunrise is between 5.15am to 5.40am
. Pic shows us buying gloves to gear up for next morning.

Picture below shows David n Nancy, Gek Hoon, Samantha and Patrice all wrapped up and waiting for Sunrise


At 5.20am, the weather is still very cold and all of us are all freezing that morning


The reward of waking up at 3am to watch Sunrise. All smiles and plenty of stories to tell


Group Photograph with Mt Bromo as backdrop

Gek Hoon and Samantha feeling better after the sun rises.

Practise Ride. On arrival at our hotel CEMERA Indah, Samantha and Patrice was send for a practice ride on relatively flat ground and along farmland. Both of them enjoyed it tremendously and more importantly gained enough confidence and some experience.

Actual Ride Up Bromo. Picture shows all of them selecting and riding their horses with confidence. The children will have a lot to write about in their facebook after this exposure.

Adventure Spirit.Like many, all of them are brave and adventurous enough to ride a horse up to the base of Mt Bromo, albeit assisted by a seasoned handler. The ride up was a good run -in, as the ride downhill was even more scary due to uneven ground and rocky tracks.

On top of Mount Bromo. After a 500m horse ride and climbing some 200 steps, we all made it to the top. To Samantha and Patrice, it was a breeze. Gek Hoon's daily morning walk help her scale it effortlessly. Michelle's qigong double intake kept her energy going but her knees made her stop 3 times . At the top, the smell of sulphur was strong as Mt Bromo is active., thus masking for some. Overall well done to everyone. David and Nancy, however, decided to go horse riding instead and did not want to put their " Hearts " to the test.





Mount Bromo - We made it declared the Singapore cowboys

Mount Bromo Cowboys. Looks good only on static photos !!! What an experience for the young and the old. David and Nancy in their 70s says that they scored many first on this trip. Riding a horse was one and had to wake up at 3am to watch sunrise was another. It was also their first to be watching sunset and moonrise at the same time. Qigong spirit must have done them tremendous good.