Me and the kids left Alison hard at work and went down to the beach for three nights. Where we went is on the west coast of Java near Anyer Beach. We drove past the vast industrial complex near Cilegon, which includes a large steel mill (Krakatau Steel), flour mill, cement factories, refineries and port. I found all this fascinating but it did lead me to wonder what it would be like where we were staying. I needed have worried we were in a very nice "cottage" by the sea.
We had arranged to do a tour out to Krakatau via a recommended guy so we went and found his establishment and had lunch there. It was up a tiny road off the main road back a few hundred meters so I was very doubtful when we got there. However Pak Eddie was very friendly spoke excellent English and they prepared the four of us a great meal ( for about $22 for all four of us ) and we arranged where to meet him the following day.
This was the little boat we Eduardo and two crew crossed part of the Sunda Straight in. The trip out was fairly rough and we were glad to reach the relative safety of an active volcano whose last major lava flow had been three years ago and had blown up 130 years ago with the biggest explosion ever heard.
The sea is right in front, a rocky shelf extends out in front of the cottage, but there is a swim-able beach a short walk to the left.
On the other side of the road there are rice fields
Krakatau was sometimes visible from the shore , depending on the haze.
The next day at Catherine's insistence we went Jet Skiing. I have always been annoyed by the noisy things, but it was a hoot driving them.
The beach where we JetSkied and Banana boated was a typical establishment there with little shacks and many people selling you stuff. This guy was up the tree doing electrical wiring.
We had arranged to do a tour out to Krakatau via a recommended guy so we went and found his establishment and had lunch there. It was up a tiny road off the main road back a few hundred meters so I was very doubtful when we got there. However Pak Eddie was very friendly spoke excellent English and they prepared the four of us a great meal ( for about $22 for all four of us ) and we arranged where to meet him the following day.
This was the little boat we Eduardo and two crew crossed part of the Sunda Straight in. The trip out was fairly rough and we were glad to reach the relative safety of an active volcano whose last major lava flow had been three years ago and had blown up 130 years ago with the biggest explosion ever heard.
We landed on the black beach and climbed through a small bit of jungle and then what looked like casaurina pines, they up over the ash and lava.
This is the lava field from the 2012 eruption.
Pak Eddie our guide.
Sulphur and a little steam was all we say in the way of activity. We could only go as far as the highest point in the 1970's which is only about halfway up, which shows how it is growing.
We climbed down and did lots of snorkelling. Lots of interesting coral and fish and the cliff drop off's seem to just go straight down. The water visibility was only middling though. Need to get an underwater camera so show all this.
We stopped for a packed lunch on a beach sitting on logs. The crew spent the whole time warding off their large monitor lizards. Like big goannas but a big wider. Looking forward to seeing there even bigger cousins on Komodo.
Then the next day it was back to Jakarta, the traffic turned the 2.5 hour drive down into a nearly 5 hr trip home.
We stopped for a packed lunch on a beach sitting on logs. The crew spent the whole time warding off their large monitor lizards. Like big goannas but a big wider. Looking forward to seeing there even bigger cousins on Komodo.
Then the next day it was back to Jakarta, the traffic turned the 2.5 hour drive down into a nearly 5 hr trip home.
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