Sight seeing in Banyuwangy
At 3:30 am the night is over, because apparently there are mosques in all 4 directions and we now get sound in 4D for 30 minutes. At 4:30 am I got over the shock and fortunately I can fall asleep again. 3 hours later I wake up hungry and in a good mood, today a relaxed day with waterfall and turtles awaits us.
Even Adi seems to be well rested and in a good mood, because he welcomes us with a broad grin. We quickly load Haquim into the car and set off. First stop is the waterfall, to which we have to go down the 1000 steps to hell, which is really worth it. Arrived at the bottom two waterfalls are waiting for us, which look as if they at least come from the jungle book. It’s gorgeous green and cool and I’m surprised that Java has a different highlight on every corner. But we want to continue to the big waterfall and so we walk through the jungle for another half an hour and wait for the river. It can actually only be minutes before one of us including camera equipment lies in the water. At the last second, I can remove a leech from my foot that’s about to suck me dry. Great, I generally like leeches.
At the end of the way a huge waterfall awaits us, and there is so much mist that Veronica’s T‑shirt looks like she was swimming with it in no time. Meanwhile Mirko and Pierre have fun in the natural swimming pool below the waterfall. Mirko impressively demonstrates what it means to have European feet that are only familiar to carpets or marble. Like a monkey on all fours he walks over the pointed stones and of course very much to the fun of our two Indonesian friends. Mirko in swimming trunks is by the way the total highlight in the jungle, Adi can hardly keep his hands off his belly, he seems to be almost fascinated by it.
Fortunately we make our way back without anyone landing in the river or breaking a leg. Instead we meet an Indonesian couple who have a little boy in their arms and he has never seen a white man in his life. He is so terrified of Mirko that he clings to his mother screaming. This of course provides some amusement for the parents, who would like to have a photo of Mirko with her boy in their arms.
Well, to be honest, it reminds me of a story about myself that my parents still like to tell today. When I was about two years old, I thought it was an excellent idea to lick a frozen lamppost in the deepest winter, which of course resulted in my tongue freezing on it. My mother tore me off the pole in panic, which did my tongue no good. When I woke up an hour later in the hospital, I screamed with all my might when I saw a dark-skinned doctor for the first time in my life.
After the morning gymnastics the next stop is a shop selling bamboo baskets and also here the two shopkeepers are totally impressed by us. The potential business is forgotten in seconds and a selfie with us suddenly becomes the number one priority. Here, too, Mirko is the object of desire, everyone wants to stand next to him and the 60-year-old lady even offers Mirko a free bed in the back room. Just in case he doesn’t know where to sleep. Thanks to the advances Mirko is naturally very enthusiastic and thinks directly about the first Botox treatment when he comes home. We buy a few more baskets and take some funny photos to the delight of the two ladies, who are probably completely happy for the rest of the day.
On the way on, the level of affection for Mirko reaches its climax. In the passenger seat Haquim massages his shoulders from behind and at the same time the driver strokes his stomach. Mirko in paradise or not. We stop briefly at a coffee plantation, where we can teach our guide something new, because yes, you can actually eat the red coffee fruits and they taste excellent.
Afterwards we drink a freshly roasted and ground coffee at the coffee roaster next to our Homestay, which simply smells delicious. The coffee is not filtered here, but the powder is simply poured into the cup. Then hot water is added and you wait for 5 minutes until the aroma has developed.
Of course, a day can’t end without Mirko having something to eat and so we follow the advise of our homstay owner to stop by a small shop where you can buy bee nests. Unfortunately, they are sold out today, therefore there are dried cow hearts, and octopus, which was cooked in its own ink and not to forget a fresh Durian from the roadside. Mirko seems to spend half a fortune in the shop, because our driver can also choose something for free. Of course Adi thinks of me too and brings me a tomato. Really a tomato now? I should save it for the next constipation, there is nothing better than an unwashed Asian tomato. Adi’s just too sweet.
At the end of our tour we do a trip to the beach, because here you can release baby turtles into freedom and I always wanted to do that. We enter a small bamboo hut and inside small and large turtles await us in tiny water basins. A sight, which should probably immediately call all animal protection activists of Europe on the plan. But I don’t think there are any here. There are three half grown-up turtles swimming in a tiled pool and I would love to drag all three out of here. Right next to it there are a selection of babies that the paying tourist can release on the beach. I’m totally disappointed, that’s really not how I imagined it. Actually I don’t want to spend any money on it, but on the other hand I could give a turtle its freedom today. After some back and forth we decide to do it after all.
Around 6 pm we say goodbye to Adi and Haquim, because we have to go to bed very early. At 11:30 pm we want to return to the adventure and climb the Ijen Crater.