Since my RTW trip itinerary is flexible, I’ve been changing things as I go — like staying in Mt. Bromo two extra nights while waiting for the weather to clear. And it’s easy to add extra destinations if I hear other travelers rave about a nearby place.

Which is exactly what happened with Ijen Crater in Java, Indonesia. I’d never heard of it before my travels, but after several people suggest it, I decide to visit.

The small gateway town to Ijen Crater is a few hours’ drive from Mt. Bromo. We’ll spend the night there and leave at 1am (!) to drive to the crater. By 2am we’ll be on the trail, hiking several kilometers uphill. The goal is to arrive at the base of the crater by 4am to witness the blue fires created by sulfur dioxide gases released through an active vent. It’s only possible to see this intense blue color during the night, hence our supremely early wake-up call. This is also the best time of day to watch the local miners perform extremely dangerous and life-threatening work — for a wage equivalent to $13 USD per day, they haul loads of around 175 lbs. of sulfur for over two miles. Life expectancy of these miners is a sobering 40 years old.

More on these men (and their work) in a moment. Our trip begins with a multi-hour drive towards Ijen Crater.

Our driver stops at this scenic look-out around sunset:

Here’s the entrance to the town we’ll stay in “overnight” (I use that term loosely, since I’m not sure a 1am departure constitutes as overnight).

I have a confession to make. On the recommendation of others, I purchase a pack of cigarettes to use as a tip or payment of sorts for taking photos of the miners at Ijen Crater. I FEEL SO GUILTY ABOUT THIS. They’re already risking their health by inhaling deadly sulfur fumes that will cut their lives short, and now I’m making things worse by contributing to their smoking habits (practically everyone in Indonesia smokes). In retrospect, I wish I’d just given them money instead.

A view from the start of our hike around 2am:

This green hut is where they weigh the sulfur brought back by miners. This determines exactly how much they’ll be paid.

Our first glimpse of the blue fires below:

And I meet my first miner, carrying a heavy load of sulfur chunks.

The deep blue color (and sulfur smell) grow stronger as we inch closer.

Miners dig out the sulfur from this area. The gentleman below is wearing a gas mask.

Two of my friends from the group pose in front of the blue fires.

I use the scarf below as an impromptu breathing mask to cover my face as we wander around the blue fires. But nothing short of a gas mask will suffice when the wind changes direction and blows the sulfur dioxide my way. On two occasions I gasp for breath and close my eyes while blindly moving away from the overwhelming stench. Later, my lungs ache as I climb back up the hill. Fingers crossed there are no lasting health effects from the 30 minutes I spent at the base of the crater. I have no idea how the miners do this every day.

Here’s a look back up the hill. While it’s still completely dark (it’s around 4:30am), the plan is to get to the top in time to see the sunrise.

Pastel colors in the pre-dawn light:

I spot a few more miners on the way back up.

I love watching the colors change in these photos — the sky, land, and lake all shift hues as the sun slowly rises.

When I look at the photo below, all I can think about is how my clothes reeked of sulfur dioxide after this experience. A week later in Bali I’ll seek out all the vinegar and baking soda I can find and spend an afternoon soaking my jacket, scarf, pants, and shirt in a massive effort to remove the dreaded sulfur smell. It sort of works.

When you travel with as few items of clothing as I do, each piece is too important to throw out. In hindsight I wish I’d picked up used or cheap clothing to wear to Ijen Crater so I could’ve tossed them afterwards (and protected my own clothes).

I don’t really understand the sign below because everyone goes down the crater.

Don’t be tempted by the pretty turquoise color… the lake water is too acidic for swimming. If you jump in, you’d die very quickly.

There’s a short walk around the rim of the crater. Views in all directions are stellar.

Miners head back downhill to the green hut we passed early this morning. This scale weighs the sulfur and determines how much they’ll be paid for each particular load.

Whew, that was a long post. Hope you’ve enjoyed these photos.

At the top of this post I discreetly linked to this Boston.com photo essay, and I’ll call specific attention to it here. Photographer Olivier Grunewald did a fantastic job covering the blue fires at Ijen Crater in 2010 and his photos are far superior to mine. I’d highly suggest checking them out.