Indonesia Inside

In 1883, a volcano off the coast of Indonesia erupted, setting off a mega-tsunami that killed some 36,000 nearby villagers almost instantly. But halfway around the world, in places like western Africa and the UK, subtle changes were noticed. The skies turned an ominous red (see the famous Scream portrait, supposedly inspired by this eruption). The tides became erratic. People thought it was the end of the world.

What actually transpired was the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history. Krakatau (popularized in the West as "Krakatoa" by the British colonialists) had left its mark in the history books.

I`ve come to the epicenter of the disaster zone 125 years later. The original Krakatau had blown itself to pieces in 1883, leaving behind three crescent-shaped island remnants. But in the middle of the underwater caldera that has formed is a curious new sight: an island that appeared out of the sea before our very eyes.

Anak Krakatau—literally "Son of Krakatau" in Indonesian—is a reincarnation of the original Krakatau volcano. Since the son`s fitful birth in 1930, this faraway piece of rock, sandwiched in the strait between Java and Sumatra, has earned a reputation among academics as an ideal laboratory for observing how life begins, endures, and sometimes perishes in an island ecosystem.

During its heyday in the 1980s and early 1990s, research conducted here on the 400 plant, 50 butterfly, 30 bird, 17 bat, and 9 reptile species, among other animals, came to define much of what we know about island biogeography and ecological dynamics.

Eruptions throughout November-the most violent in over a decade-recaptured the world`s attention, with news of 3-kilometer-high ash fumes, showers of lava bombs, and blasts that rattled the windows of houses on the shores of western Java, some 40 kilometers away. Anak has remained active ever since, with eruptions this January, April, June, and July.

On this bright day, my tour guide is Tukirin Partomihardjo, a wiry botanist sporting at once a collared shirt and a machete. We wade onto the black-sand beach of Anak. The 56-year-old "King of Krakatau" has arrived.

It`s hard to take a step here, even on the beach, without crushing some sort of life. Just moments after arrival, Tukirin, who works for the Indonesian Academy of Sciences at Bogor Herbarium, points out blue-ish ghost crabs, armies of tiny ants, fast-multiplying casuarinas seedlings, and even one coconut that has sprouted an impressive-looking stem. These are some of the early colonizers of Anak, and each day they continue to launch amphibious attacks on the island.

"There is a constant struggle here," says Tukirin, referring to the battle between these pioneering species and the elements. One of his on-going projects seeks to explain the degree of success in colonization by examining the diversity of the beach seedbank. This afternoon alone, he finds some 30 different seed species of varying descriptions: green cactus-like, flat and pea-shaped, walnut-shaped (he easily rattles off their obscure scientific names).

But it`s not just about quantity. He holds up a dark, oblong mangrove seed and shakes his head. "This can`t survive here."

Later this afternoon, he heads into the modest jungle, a panopoly of dominant casuarinas, waist-high grasses, ferns, and emergent fig trees that reach 30 metres. Parts of the rainforest sport bald spots where lava has completely wiped out the vegetation.

Today, for instance, Tukirin is surveying the damage of the November blasts. "Many trees have died," he says, blaming the ash that has buried much of the understory. "But this place will recover."

Tukirin, as it happens, is the world`s leading expert on Anak Krakatau (hence the nickname), first hearing about and visiting the place in 1981 during a training seminar. Since then, he`s been back to the island some 30 plus times, leading almost all foreign expeditions there.
It`s quite remarkable how far he has come. He grew up on a rural farm to parents who didn`t make it through elementary school and became the first in a family of 9 siblings to earn a Ph.D. His dissertation was, of course, on Krakatau. "Even with very difficult conditions, my parents felt I needed education," he says. "They encouraged me to study hard."

Today, Mount Kelud is very phenomenal with its new dome that exists from its lake. To reach Mount Kelud, the visitors can use motorcycle and the direction come from Kediri to Wates continued to Margomulyo – Bambingan till Jurang Gelap or Mount Pedot. From Jurang Gelap till the new dome of Mount Kelud is about 2 km and you can go on foot.

Mount Kelud has change, it had green crater before explode, but today the beautiful crater is gone and turn up new crater that different from the previous.

The increase of Mount Kelud activities from the beginning step to the next step is show phenomenal activities that never happen before. The water temperature in 1990 exploded is about 400 Celsius, and in this activity, the water temperature is increase till 77,50 Celsius, makes thermometer broken caused of high warming. The earthquake is also has increase level, both volcanic and tectonic earthquake. The earthquake is higher compare with exploded in 1990. The white and black smokes that come out from the crater is not happen in 1990.

The climax activity of Mount Kelud is to turn up a dome from the lake crater in November 5, 2007 with diameter 100 meters and 20 meters height from crater water. Today, the Lava Dome still growing slowly till 200 meters height and widened to southwest side of the lake crater wide.
The first white and black smoke are detected in November 4, 2007. At that time is 200 meters height and today the wind has blow them to south side. The white smoke is come out from the dome and blow to the air till 1.000 meters height.

If this is really the end of Mount Kelud and the status is normal, with Mount Kelud condition at the present, then Mount Kelud has a new face. With its Dome that comes from the crater, Mount Kelud is more beautiful than before, add with the other phenomenal that never happen before.
Mount Kelud changes with its new Dome are very interesting for visitors. The visitors can see and enjoy its new dome if the condition is really safe to be visited. The Dome is seems to be Mount Kelud’s son. There is no crater-lake or green water in Mount Kelud, but the new Kelud presents its new dome. Fantastic and curious nature panorama.

Mount Bromo also Gunung Bromo, located in the Tengger Caldera, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. It is an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, and even though at 2329 meters it is not the highest peak of the massif, it is the most well known.

According to a local folk tale, at the end of the 15th century princess Roro Anteng from the Majapahit Empire started a separate principality together with her husband Joko Seger. They named it Tengger by the last syllables of their names. The principality did prosper, but the ruling couple failed to conceive children. In their despair they climbed Mount Bromo to pray to the gods, who granted them help, but requested the last child to be sacrificed to the gods. They had 24 children, and when the 25th and last child Kesuma was born Roro Anteng refused to do the sacrifice as promised. The gods then threatened with fire and brimstone, until she finally did the sacrifice. After the child was thrown into the crater, the voice of the child ordered the local people to perform an annual ceremony on the volcano, which is not held today.