CHASING SUNRISE AT MOUNT BROMO

   26TH JULY 2025    ~ The highlight of the Surabaya trip was to chase the sunrise at Mount Bromo. To get the mission accomplished, we had to push off from the hotel as early as at 12:30 a.m. so that we could arrive at the transit point on time [after about 3 hours]. From there, we had to be separated into two groups and get into two jeeps.

spot me if you can

Then, another long journey uphill started. There was like a race with hundred of other jeeps to get to next check point in the wee hour of the morning.

We reached the rest area which was a coffees shop at about 3:30 a.m. and it was extremely cold. While waiting for the Subuh [dawn] prayer time [at 4:30 a.m.] we had hot drinks and food like instant noodles. We could also access the toilets and Musolla [the small room for prayer] here.

It was only 4:00 a.m. but the place was already flocked with visitors who had the same mission.

FYI, I decided not to go on the adventure hiking up the place called King Kong Hill with the other group members to observe the sunrise against Bromo due to the issues that I had with my knees. It was better to be safe than sorry and I had no regret at all. [The moral of the story: go travel when you are still fit and healthy] Nevertheless, I was still glad to share the magnificent view of the mountain seen by my friends up there.

Thanks to my friends who had shared the awesome photos and videos of the picturesque view of the volcano.

When my friends came back to the coffee shop, we were ready to continue with our exploration of Bromo.

The trip downhill in the jeep was another challenge. There were just too many jeeps on the narrow road, hence there was a massive traffic congestion. We were even in a stationary position for quite sometime, and the jeeps were moving bumper to bumper.

[MY SURABAYA TRIP MAIN PAGE]

If you are looking for a guide for your Bromo Trip, here's the link:

Agent Surabaya Travel

WELCOMING FRIENDS TO SURABAYA - AND THE ADVENTURE BEGAN

   25th JULY 2025    ~ The other group members who flew out from Kuala Lumpur at 3:15 p.m. finally arrived at Juanda International Airport at about 5:40 p.m. I was there with the guide to welcome them to Surabaya, Indonesia and was able to greet them with "Sugeng Rawuh" [which means "welcome" in Javanese].

The group members comprised of three TESL UPM friends: Puan Hazlina Aziz, Puan Hanna Sheikh Mokhtar [and her husband] and Mr. Ridwan A. Wahid [accompanied by his wife and daughter].

Everybody was extremely excited to check the small, blue bus which was called "Alf" by the locals.

The adventure of the seven people then began and the first activity was to stop for dinner at Pondok Tempo Doeloe in the city before we continued the journey for another approximately 2 hours.

The final destination of the day was Bromo View Hotel. We checked in but was there only for about 2 hours and a half, just to freshen up and rest a bit, perhaps to catch the forty winks. We had to check out at 12:30 a.m. and started the journey to Mt. Bromo. That was my shortest stay in a hotel ever. I did not even dare to get a short sleep for the fear of not being able to wake up at all.

Everyone was so ready for the highlight of the Surabaya trip: watching the sunrise at Mt. Bromo. The fun had actually begun when I saw them at Juanda Airport Arrival Hall nonetheless.

[If you need to get a guide for your trip to Surabaya and Bromo, you can visit the website of Agent Surabaya Travel HERE.]

[MY SURABAYA TRIP MAIN PAGE]

GETTING INTO A SUBMARINE IN SURABAYA

   25th JULY 2025    ~ This should be my first time getting into a submarine and it happened in Surabaya city. After Monumen Pahlawan and Muzium 11 Nopember, we went to the next spot: Muzium Kapal Selam a.k.a Monkasel [TRANSLATE: Submarine Museum] in the heart of the city.

The vessel, which was named Pasopati, was built in Vladivostok, Russia in 1952. It was then used by the Indonesian Army from January 1962 until 1994. When the ship was no longer in service, it was disassembled and moved to a spot in the city which was later reassembled and converted into a museum.

the friendly museum guide, Ms. Siska

Mr. Yoga, the tour guide

It was in fact an interesting and educational visit. I just could not imagine living inside such a small space underwater for a long period of time - definitely not a spot for a claustrophobic person. One thing worth mentioning, a big size person might find it difficult to get from one end to the other as he/she needs to pass through the small, round door that connects the few parts of the submarine. Even I who had issues with my knees found it challenging to move inside the vessel.

 

We had to make our move to the airport as the other tour members would be arriving. However, before that, I was taken to the monument which was the icon of Surabaya. A statue of a fish and a crocodile, the two sea creatures from which the name Surabaya derived from. The Shark [Suro] represented bravery while the crocodile [Boyo] was the symbol of strength, or it could be the other way around. The two marine animals fought but there was no winner eventually.

Guess I had already learned a lot of things right after I set foot here. There would be more things to observe, experience and enjoy for the upcoming three days.

[MY SURABAYA TRIP MAIN PAGE]

ARRIVING AND VISITING THE MUSEUMS IN SURABAYA

   25th JULY 2025    ~ The original plan was to take the Grab Car from the airport and go to the museums in Surabaya city after landing, while waiting for the other six tour members to arrive from Kuala Lumpur 5 hours later. What I did not know was the tour guide and the driver were already there waiting for my arrival. The good news was that they took me to the city in the bus, and I was the only guest to be entertained for that period of time.

I was first taken to this site called Monumen Tugu Pahlawan [TRANSLATE: Monument of the Warriors]. The monument was built to commemorate the fight that took place on 10th November, 1445 between the people of Surabaya and the foreign soldiers who were speculated to try and colonize Indonesia again after it gained independence a few months before that.

In the same complex, there was a museum called Museum 10 Nopember which described the event in detail.

The museum was not that big so we spent just a short time inside and there was one more museum to be visited right after.

[FOOTNOTE: I actually had taken a lot of photos on my compact camera but realized there was an issue with its memory card. Hence, the photos of the first day in Surabaya could not be retrieved. Thank God, there were other sources so I still managed to get them posted in the blog.]

   RELATED LINKS OF MY SURABAYA TRIP:   

   PROLOGUE   

Blogging from Bromo View Hotel

Blogging from Surabaya City

Arriving and Visiting the Museums
Getting into a Submarine in Surabaya

Welcoming Friends at Juanda International Airport

Chasing Sunrise at Mount Bromo
Exploring the Crater of Bromo [PART 1][PART 2]

Savannah Hill in Bromo

Stopping by at ArRahman Mosque on the Highway

Exploring Kampung Warna Warni Jodipan [PART 1][PART 2]

   EPILOGUE   

Bidding Farewell to Surabaya from Juanda International Airport

[If you need to get a guide for your trip to Surabaya and Bromo, you can visit the website of Agent Surabaya Travel HERE.]