Saturday, September 05, 2015
Indonesia - Mount Bromo / Mount Ijen / Bali Marathon 2015
26 Aug ~ 1 Sep
It was my 2nd trip of the year, after an epic Sri Lanka trip in May, which I just realized I didn't talk about. Nevertheless, I've made a trip video out of that trip, and uploaded it HERE, so support it on HD!
Anyway, this trip to Indonesia was really primarily for the Bali Marathon, which I took part in 2014 and recorded a Personal Best timing. Last year's marathon experience was so great that I had been looking forward to it, and was anxious to put my name on the registration form for 2015. So here I came.
Adding in a Mount Bromo + Mount Ijen before the marathon, was just to repeat what was done last year: Climbing Mount Rinjani before the marathon. The trekking+marathon formula seemed to work well last year, so I was thinking of doing it similarly.
Mount Bromo was quite a breeze - I've heard about how easy it was, but didn't realize it was THAT easy. You're basically driven around in a jeep in the early morning, and you first wait out for the sunrise at a vantage point. Then after sunrise, you'd be driven by the jeep to the base of the crater. What followed was just a 200-ish steps up to the crater rim. Yep. It was easily reached by anyone, so I would recommend Bromo to simply anybody!
Mount Ijen, is another volcano at the very eastern part of Java. We set off around 2am from the accommodation, so that we could reach earlier to see the renowned Blue Fire. I had read that there were only 2 volcanoes in the world with a Blue Fire crater, and Ijen was one of the 2. (Do verify this yourself, haha!) The trek was comparatively a little more physical than Bromo, but it was pretty easy as well. There were some steeper parts, but very manageable without having to go on all fours, or even walking on tough terrain. It was easy on the legs, and I would also recommend it to anybody with any level of fitness.
The Blue Fire part was amazing. We brought our own N95 masks, which were sufficient to block out the toxic sulphur gas from the crater. From the crater rim, we went down the numerous steps, all the way to the site of production, where workers worked all night to collect sulphur. There, we saw deep blue flames which were an amazing sight. Occasionally the wind would change directions and would blow the fog towards us. This would be the time you should close your eyes to avoid irritation and tearing. The crater lake is one of the most acidic crater lakes in the world, at pH 0.5!
The main highlight of the trip took place in Bali. The concert-going friends had booked a 3-night villa in Ubud, where the 6 of us could really unwind ourselves with the booze as well as the private pool and TV and food and a pool table. A 3.5-hour spa package was what we had the night before our run - the massage was SO GOOD, that we actually had the same massage again after the run.
My Bali Marathon started really really well. I did the first 10km in 55 minutes, then at halfway point (21km), it was only 2 hours. I was quite excited about my pace -- something that had paid off with the recent training that I had given myself. I slowed my pace further for the 2nd half of the race, and at 30km mark, it was just 3h 10min. To me, it's one timing that I've never done better before.
But what happened after that was dramatic. After 30km, my stomach started churning very badly. It was aching, to the point that I could not even sustain a brisk-walking speed. At some points, I even had to stop. I kept the pain and pushed, but at about 34-35km, I couldn't take it and went to a villager's toilet. After spending 10-15 minutes, I felt a little better, but the stomachache wasn't totally removed. But having stopped and now picking up speed again, I had to battle another pain -- multiple cramps in my thighs and calves. It's become a double whammy - the stomachache that continued to develop (again) soon after my toilet trip, as well as the frustrating cramps in my legs.
So the final 8km took eternity. I managed to break into alternating short jogs and walks, and replenishing lots of fluids. It was a hard 8km at the end. I saw my potential Personal Best timing slowly eroding, but I was not concentrating on that anymore -- I told myself that I would just be happy to have completed it. It is afterall, my milestone 10th Marathon!
At the finishing line, I was pretty touched that my travel mates were there, taking videos of me from multiple angles. They could have returned back to the villa after their 10km race, instead of waiting more than 2 hours for my finish.
Bali Marathon is still the marathon with the best experience so far. The kids were still there in full force, lining up the roads to give you hi-5s. The people were still so friendly -- smiling and giving you encouragement as you passed them by. I felt like a little star from Singapore. I would definitely want to continue to race here.
The past 10 Marathons at a glance:
1. Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2007 : 5:06:14
2. adidas Sundown Marathon 2008 : 5:07:58
3. Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2009 : 5:01:04
4. Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2010 : 5:13:35
5. Volkswagen Prague International Marathon 2012 : 4:53:22
6. Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2012 : 4:59:49
7. Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2013 : 5:17:47
8. Maybank Bali Marathon 2014 : 4:48:08 (Best!)
9. Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2014 : 5:14:22
10. Maybank Bali Marathon 2015: 4:52:39
人生是黑白的.
2:51 PM <3
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