Sore in Surabaya II: Very Wet

Woke up puffy-eyed and sleepy for breakfast at 6:00 AM. Finally had a good view of the surroundings at Yanti Homestay. The place is a cluster of rooms with common areas and a warung at the front. After our simple breakfast of a sandwich, omelette, and weak coffee, Pak Sulaiman met up with us with a clove cigarette in hand. One look at the shoes that we were wearing, he shook his head and told us to change into slippers. Together with a local guide, we walked a short distance to the Tumpak Sewu viewing deck. In the Javanese language, Tumpak Sewu means "a thousand waterfalls", and it's really breathtaking. Water flows down 120 meters over a semi-circular gorge with Mount Semeru in the background.  

The real adventure began with our descent to the foot of the falls.  One would think that such a beautiful nature spot would be under the governance of park authorities, but in actual fact it's all maintained by locals. The path down was a mixture of trails, bamboo paths, rope traversals, and metal ladders. A bit scary, and not for the faint-hearted. Definitely not something that you should do without an exoerienced guide. At one point, we needed to scale down a small waterfall. The guide had to be ahead of us, guiding where we should place our foot on the slippery stones. At the bottom of the river valley, I felt that I was in "Jurassic World". Was half-expecting a dinosaur to come around the bend. If that happened I would have probably been eaten because my knees were already jelly from the descent. We trekked along the river and reached a crossing. No bridge mind you, we had to wade into the nearly hip-deep river. Because it was the rainy season, the water level was a bit higher and the current more difficult to manage. The guides went to the middle to act as anchors for us. During the whole ordeal, one side of my Crocs actually floated away, but amazingly the guide managed to retrieve it for me. Else it would have been a very painful journey ahead for me.

When we finally arrived at the the central basin, we were wow-ed by the full scale of the Tumpak Sewu. The spray of the falls was everywhere. Getting down got us half-soaked, but the spray got us fully-soaked. That was the reason that the guide told us not to bring cameras. There were only two other people there (a very hunky straight German dude), so it was easy to get our scenic shots. Other than the main falls, there were several other lesser falls nearby. Tumpak Sewu showcases the raw power of nature, while Goa Tetes highlights the more serene side of nature. 

Although my thighs and knees were already complaining, the ascent was seemingly easier. Did have to stop a few times to catch my breath, but the guide was patient, and KH coaxed me along. That wasn't the end of our waterfall expedition. We were given an hour to shower and change into a set of dry clothes. Found that my clothes were full of black volcanic sand. Pak Sulaiman didn't follow us for the second excursion to Kapas Biru Waterfall. The way there was much easier. Not as dramatic, but it was still a powerful rush of water amongst giant ferns and bamboo clusters. Once the weather turned gloomy, we immediately rushed back out. In the end, we got a little wet because had to run for it at the home stretch. 

Packed our bags and checked out. The rain followed us all the way to the city of Malang. Some flash floods along the way, but it was no problem for Pak Sulaiman's car. A roundabout near the old city was setup like a memorial to the many victims of the Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster that happened on the 1st of October. The stampede caused the death 135 football fans, and the populace showed their displeasure at the authorities with anti-police graffiti and banners. Stopped for a late lunch of local food at Kertanegara, before continuing on to our hotel at Bromo.