YOSCHI'S
SYNOPSIS: A day of work in the cool gardens of Yoschi’s Guesthouse. Transit back to Surabaya.
It must be a good 15 degrees cooler “up here” than “down there”. What better place to stay for an extra day, especially, since Yoschi’s has such a pleasant tropical garden, rustic huts, a full-service restaurant and wifi! Best of all, it is so cool here, that there are no mosquitoes. And on top of all that, the view is spectacular.
The further you go up from Probolinggo towards Bromo, the more beautiful the landscape gets. Too bad, I had to drive up here in the dark. Picture a narrow valley flanked by tall, bulging mountains. The top is lined with trees, the upper zone is greenery and the lower third is filled up with numerous steep, nearly vertical fields of vegetables that zigzag back and forth. The growth of the various crops creates textures almost like the patterns of woven shawls. How anyone can work on these steep plots is beyond me.
AVI AND LISA
Today, the sun is peeking through; a welcome return after a big rainstorm last night. It got so cold that I and my three companions got out all the layers we had — a first in Indonesia. If I had to choose a place to live, it would be up here!
Yesterday afternoon, I met three fellow travelers who all had found each other only recently. Lisa was from France, Avi from Holland, and Chris from England. Yesterday, we exchanged travel stories and shared pictures of some of our adventures. This morning they were off to do the climb of Bromo.
I used the quiet hours at the hotel to work. Later, I will catch the train back to Surabaya to continue on to Sulawesi. No sightseeing today.
Enjoy the pictures of the guesthouse and the scenery. Unfortunately, some of the best views of the valley I only had from the back seat of a swirling jeep. Not many good photos came of it.
See you back in Surabaya.
