Princess Tamina

08082015. 10.15am. Princess Tamina. As we gradually took our time to ascend the towering steps, we began to realise the air was getting weird. The higher we got, a strong pungent smell of something toxic became ever more prominent. 

Armed with N95 masks from which @frvii stole from his workplace, we scaled upwards. The wind blew away @noohadams 's mask. So apparently he became a mutant after the whole trip. So, when we reached the peak, we saw an active discharge of sulphuric gases in the middle of somewhat like a massive cauldron. Super cool! So that was where the strong sulphur was coming from! If only we could see what was inside the 'cauldron'. Probably live magma! 

As we scoured the area, we saw the vast sea of sand from which we crossed. From the top, it was so reminiscent of scenes from Prince of Persia - Sands of Time! Time stood still when from afar, the shadow of the princess I've been pondering about were casted right upon my sight. (I shall not divulge into what happened afterwards. Haha). We had a moment together talking about how tiny those people were on the ground. Unfortunately, as I have other priorities on hand, I, unwillingly had to leave her, let her go and hope she'll find a better man. It will be better off if we go our separate ways. 

Moving forward, we, #coolkids, descended the crater to our Jeep and drove back to our bungalow. 

Oh, did I mention we rented a full BUNGALOW just for ourselves and just for our 2-hour beauty sleep? Hahaha! Yup. Backpacking indeed. 😵😵 We were really broke and its still the second day plus we have another volcano to climb. To top it all off, we have not had a good sleep and a meal after more than 28 hours.

 When we arrived at our bungalow, we got only 30 mins to shower, pack our bags and grab some food and we're back on the road to Mount Ijen... 

Still hungry. No Sleep. No Money. Day 2.

#adventuresofyanparker #coolkids
#yanparkertravellogue #bromo
#nofilter #xiaomi #princesstamina

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The Sea of Sand

08082015. 9.30am. The Sea of Sand. Our Jeep brought us to Mount Bromo's crater which was surrounded by a vast plain called the Sea of Sand. At the end there was this towering steep steps, which reminded me of some scenes from Mortal Kombat and also the thigh-killer steps of Wat Arun at Bangkok. 

We had no idea what was in store for us at the top. We just knew that we had to cross the sea of sand and climb up those steps... We have to know what was there at its peak. And yes, our feet were still like jelly. It didn't help that we were walking on sand and sand dunes. Every step we took, our feet sunk in. It was as though the ground leeches energy, whatever that's still remaining from us. 

As we dragged our feet, we had to avoid incoming dust clouds which at times sting our skin. They hurt more when speeding ojeks aka motorcycles and horses raced past us. So we had to cover up wisely. It somehow felt some sort like Prince of Persia-ish. A slight comfort came from wondering whether or not I'd get to find my Princess Tamina at its peak. Haha. Reality check. We haven't even started our climb up the steep flight of steps. 

And @noohadams just lost his mask after the wind blew it away... 

"My body wants to go. My legs just don't want to move."

#adventuresofyanparker #coolkids
#yanparkertravellogue #bromo#seaofsand #nofilter #yicamera

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Daybreak

08082015. 7.30am. Daybreak.

Time for us to descend the volcano. Due to us arriving at the base and hiking at night, the scenery came as a shock to us how amazing it was as we take our time to gradually descend. After reenacting the historic pendekar march past, we saw this beautiful masterpiece created by God. Still with a sense of patriotism, we took a much needed break as we still have about an hour plus down to our Jeep. We were so tired by the time we got there that it somehow left our minds that hiking up to see the sunrise was just the first part out of 4 attractions. Bearing in mind we got only 2 hours of sleep, we trudged on.

We had no clue as to what was in store for us next...

 #adventuresofyanparker #coolkids #yanparkertravellogue #bromo #songkok

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Summit of Bromo

08082015. 2.30am. 

We had just been in bed for about 2 hours tops after spending 13hrs travelling non-stop. Wearing 8 layers of t-shirts and a sweater, we journeyed on foot for 3hrs to the peak in super chilly conditions and in the dark. Pitch black dark. Only voices and beams of torchlights guided us. When we reached the peak, we waited with the massive crowd; Cant get a good view. So we climbed the radio tower. We were super tired. But those jelly feets suddenly sprang when finally, dawn came down upon us. To view something like this is truly an amazing sight. God's creation. Subhanallah. 
After which, we realised we had to hike back down. 😭 😭 😭 

#teamcoolkids#bromo #adventuresofyanparker#yanparkertravellogue

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Crossing the Checkpoint on toes

Cos taking a flight from changi airport is too mainstream. But it'll be our last.

We literally braved through the rain, jam, people and terrain just to get to Senai. Walking is no longer an option. If not for miracles, we wouldnt have been in Surabaya now.

Time check: 7.48pm. Were still on our way to Bromo. 10hrs of non stop travelling so far... 

#adventuresofyanparker

#ohgodpleasehelp #teamcoolkids #711Bromo 

#yanparkertravellogue

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Kayaking through the Andaman Sea

Yes, I backpack. A lot. But this is one experience I will never ever forget. Tourists take longtails and speedboats to visit surrounding islands. That day, we chose to kayak 8hrs in the open Andaman Sea, unguided, and with little to no experience on kayaking. Little did we realise the dangers lurking within these waters; not until we came back onshore, super tanned!! To make it even worse, most of us do not know how to swim!

Coming back to SG, we realised the possibility of us probably not returning unscathed was in fact quite high!

But experiencing the sunset in the middle of the sea, just us four guys on a 2 tiny kayaks, was phenomenal. Subhanallah. Alhamdulillah.

#flashbackfriday #therealgojedontscared. #yanparkertravellogue #adventuresofyanparker

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In search of Singapore's Long lost WW2 tunnel

So we bashed through the Marsiling jungle to find a forgotten WW2 tunnel. The experience was unforgettable to say the least! And as usual, I will always the first to enter/explore such places! Haha

#50shadesofSG #coolkids #adventuresofyanparker

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