If you mention the land of volcanoes, you will always think about Indonesia. After reading a review on a website, I fell in love with Mount Bromo. I was filled with the energy to carry my two feet and two eyes to visit the great mount for once in my life.. and my dream came true. My three girlfriends and I planned a trip to visit the Land of God's Breath on the Eastern Java Island, Indonesia.

We booked a promotional ticket for an Air Asia direct flight to Jakarta in October, 2017. Then, we looked up information on the internet to find travel agencies. Luckily, Mr. Didik from one of the agencies responded back and planned an amazing travel program exclusively for us. We planned the program and contacted the agency and then booked a flight from Jakarta to Surabaya. Afterwards, I counted the days to when I finally go on my dream journey.

One night, we left Thailand and flew to Jakarta, Indonesia. The flight took around 5 hours. It was lively on the plane. Most passengers were Indonesian. The atmosphere at the airport that night excited me because it was huge and modern. We took the airport shuttle bus to another terminal and slept there to wait for the next morning when we will take another flight to Surabaya.

This morning in Surabaya, we barely got any sleep. After getting off the plane, we went to fetch our bags then went out separate ways to do our business. I connected to the airport Wi-Fi and received a message from the agency telling us that our guide and driver has arrived to pick us up. We met Mr. Dosi who is our local guide and driver. Mr. Dosi is a middle aged man with tanned skin. He smiled at us and said "Good morning" in English. His kind and friendly demeanor strangely warmed our hearts. We greeted and introduced each other for a bit then we got into his car and headed to Madakaripura Waterfall. On the way to the waterfall, we were very tired so we slept for a long time.

To reach Madakaripura Waterfall, you have to take a villager's motorcycle to take you there. Along the way, you can see the forest on both sides that indicate the abundance and richness of the area. There are many different kinds of trees on the green mountains and a stream flows by. This gives a relaxing and refreshing feeling. We walked for around 30 minutes to reach the waterfall inside. The waterfall is very large and the green trees and ferns act as a green curtain that covers the area surrounding the waterfall. The water flows down in a heavenly picture. We followed the guide inside to see the greatness of the waterfall. "WOW!" we exclaimed. Why is it so beautiful? Why is it so big? We separated to different corners to take photos and save them as digital memories for the future.

After visiting the waterfall, we headed to our accommodation near Mount Bromo.. On the way, Dorsi and I talked a lot about different things; our private lives and even our travel experiences. We talked like we have known each other for a long time and are now best friends. English wasn't a problem in our conversation. Further along the way, we had to climb the mountain which was getting steeper and steeper. I told my friend that this placereminds me of Phu Tab Buek back in Thailand. Both sides are filled with mountains and you could see the fog surrounding them. You could also see the villagers who were growing cabbages. I rolled down my window and reached out my hand to touch the cool and refreshing air. So nice! The view entranced me so much. I tried to save the view in my eyes and reached for my camera to take photos. I wanted to send them to my mother to show her the lovely view of "Switzerland of South East Asia".

In the evening on the same day, we arrived at our accommodation exhausted. Mr. Dorsi told us to meet at 2 AM so we went into our rooms to get some rest. From our rooms, we could see Mount Bromo. The four of us talked about how fun and exciting today was and how tomorrow would be more or less like today. The sun started to go down and it was getting cold. The pyjamas we brought with us couldn't keep us warm enough so we had to wear our coats over them. The weather on this day is just like Chiangmai in winter even though it was still April. So this is the land of volcanoes I looked forward to visiting... See you tomorrow morning.

At 2 AM, the weather was freezing cold. We waited for Mr. Dorsi outside and looked at the sky. There were millions of stars up there. It was calm, the stars were shining bright and the weather was cold. Today, we will be going to the viewpoint on our Jeep... The way to the viewpoint was difficult. It was cold and rough on the way up the mountain. I prayed that the sky would open so I could see the mountain clearly this morning. I also believed that praying would help my journey go along smoothly.

Around 5.30 AM, the sun started shining more. The soothing light helped us see the volcano more clearly in front of us. I could only smile happily and video call my mother. I was very happy so I wanted to share my happiness with the people I love. This morning, we took photos to our heart's content. The guide took us to different spots where we could see the volcano in different angles. The view of the volcano in standing tall with clouds of smoke bursting out of it was mesmerising. I really want you guys to see it with your own eyes!

We got down of the viewpoint and made our way towards Mount Bromo. The trail was curvy and puzzling. When we got down to the plains, the guide told the four of us to get on the roof of the Jeep to experience the atmosphere outside. My friends and I were smiling happily and talked a lot of the car roof with the mountains in the background. This morning is so special..

When the car stopped, we were surrounded by horses and their owners. We traveled to Mount Bromo on our own horses. I have never ridden a horse before so I had to learn this new skill. The horses slowly took us to the foot of Mount Bromo. It was very crowded. Many people came to experience the greatness of Mount Bromo and the breath of the gods. We got off our horses and climbed up the stairs to the side of the volcano. The stairs were quite steep so we had to take a few breaks along the way.. Finally, we reached the top of the volcano. We looked down and saw the smoke flying up into the sky and we could smell the faint smell of sulfur. This is a sign that "My two eyes and feet have finally arrived here. The day I have been waiting for has finally come".

We got down of Mount Bromo and the guide took us to many places like the black desert or the savanna plains so we could take cool photos as souvenirs. Because of the greatness of the volcano, the area surrounding it is very abundant due to the lava like we learned in textbooks... Do you know that I am just a small human compared to you, Dear Mount Brono?

We got back from Mount Bromo, we showered and packed up our bags to continue our journey. Our next destination is Kawahlijen. Today, we are very happy. Especially me. A smile is always on my face. I thought that if I had the chance again, I would revisit this place. There is something about this place that is so enchanting to me. I want to come back here again. I want to visit the great volcano surrounded by green trees again. But do you know that one thing that I got from this journey is friendship between me and many others. I shared my happiness through smiles and stories through easy English. I didn't feel like English was a problem at all. I could sense true sincerity and kindness of the people. I hope that someday I will have the chance to come here again. If I do, I would visit you again, Dear Bromo..