Layar Seafood Restaurant

Surabaya - For dinner we went to one of Surabaya most popular seafood restaurant - Layar Seafood Restaurant.   It was a big restaurant and the place was crowded but we managed to find a table.

the welcome sign

Tanks of live fishes

We ordered their famous salted egg jumbo crab but it turns out to be our local kind of larger crabs.

Salted egg jumbo crabs

sauces and condiments

Vegetables

steam fresh grouper

stir fried Broccoli

I wanted another dish of vegetables because the first dish of vegetables tasted really good.   The Broccoli was also very delicious.  On the whole it was a good meal and I will come back again to this restaurant if I have another trip to Surabaya.

Mount Bromo - the Active Volcano

Surabaya - We made arrangements for a pick up at our Hotel @ 11pm to go to Mount Bromo for a spectacular sunrise.   I had been disappointed previously in Taiwan and Jeju island because of the cloudy skies and hope this journey to Mount Bromo would be worth the time.   It takes 4 hours broken up into 3 hrs from Surabaya to the meeting point; and another 1 hour by Jeep to reach near the sunset viewing area.    It was very cold (around 5 degrees) and the rental of the jacket cost Rp 25,000 each (about S$ 2.6).  To use the toilets you have to pay - some charges Rp 3,000 and others Rp 5,000 but its clean.

Mount Bromo is a part of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park that covers a massive area of 800 square kilometres (about the size of Singapore).

We were the first to arrive at the summit sunrise viewing area and there was no one around; so we decided to wait at a food stall and had tea, coffee and instant noodles.

Around 4:15am, the whole summit was packed with tourist vying for the best spot to take their pictures.     At the summit it was free for all, and some of the tourist were very rude standing on the metal railing thus blocking people from behind.   There were some kind people that share the photo taking space with total strangers.

Many stars were shining brightly and I know it will be a good sun rise.

Sun rising from the horizon

Crater of Mt Bromo

Mt Bromo is the background

Mount Bromo - The jeep drove us to the Mount Bromo crater.  For the tired or lazy, there are motocycles and horses for hire to reach to base of the crater.   Costing around Rp50,000 one way.  We decided to walk up to the crater about 2km walk.

Background is the Mt Bromo temple

a long hike up the Mt Bromo

Mt Bromo is 2392 metres tall and near the base of the crater there are 250 steps.

A long and tiring climb but every step is worth it to view this spectacular active volcano.
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Spectacular active volcano

Savana - a grassland with few tress around in this vast landscape

Our jeep tourer

Sand landscape - This vast landscape of black and darken sand with specs of glass was due to an eruption from Mt Bromo in 2012.

We had a short breakfast and journey back to the Hotel.