1/8/99: We woke up just after midnight so that we could hop in a van and go on a tour to Mount Bromo. It is one of the few active volcanoes in the world. Unfortunately, it is not the type that has interesting things to see (from a distance) such as lava flows or boiling spouts. Instead, the mountain and surrounding jungle is pretty much constantly shrouded in sulfur vapors… It was us versus the volcano… That means we didn’t see much at all, even the sun rise was completely obscured, though the cloud of sulfur did change from dark to light… It also means that our clothes will be smelling like sulfur for days, if not weeks… It was a cool trip though, and worth doing… We arrived back in town in time to join the Karl and Inge, and their children, for lunch… Ruth and I picked their brains about how they raise their children, who are perhaps the most respectful and polite children I’ve ever encountered… Their main advice was “give them time, and attention…”
NOTE: The photo above shows Ruth in the pre-dawn darkness and fog, trying to mask her mouth from the sulfur fumes of Mount Bromo, near Malang, Indonesia.
