IJEN Volcano | How to get through hell and heaven in a few hours

There is a place in the world where we descend to the depths of the earth and see blue fire, surrounded ourselves by thick smoke and deafening noise, plus some difficulty in breathing. Some would say it´s like to be in hell, however, it is still magical. Hell has its beauty.

We went up without knowing where we were going. And at the top the sunshine takes over the darkness. The light brings calm, peace, and all the splendor and strength of nature. We are in heaven and just below us, we can see the hell. So far and so silent now. The sun rises and with it the landscape of a gigantic turquoise blue lagoon that looks painted. The heart stops. Nobody prepares us for that immensity.

This place is in Indonesia. This place is the Ijen volcano.

IJEN VOLCANO | JUNE 21, 2017

It is only possible to see the blue fire during the night. So around midnight, we were picked up from our accommodation followed by an hour’s drive until the point of the climb to the volcano. I ended up not sleeping at all before we had started the adventure.

The climb to get closer to the volcano is around 3 km and takes about 1H30 to complete. It is very tiring, it is not difficult, but it is tiring. The street is very steep and it seems that it never ends. I got to the base totally exhausted, contrasting sharply with my friend Scott who, being 10 years older than me, had the energy to “give and sell” and even helped some workers to take the cart to the base.

Reaching the top, we were equipped with a gas mask and a flashlight. The Ijen volcano is like a sulfur mine which through a chemical reaction produces the famous blue fire flames. And to see this phenomenon it is essential to descend to the bottom of the crater.

A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH

A descent begins by the crater´s interior wall. Where the only existing light is coming from the lantern I carry in my hand. This darkness prevents me from having a total perception of the place where I am, however, from the shadows I have an idea that I am in a monumental place.

I find myself on a 200m escarpment made up of slippery stones that combined with almost total darkness, makes the route quite dangerous. Once again, I got myself into the classic situation where I think:

If my mother could see me now. She would kill me.

I look at my sneakers and roll my eyes to the unfortunate idea of traveling in Adidas Super Star. I need to improve my traveling skills, I think. Despite all the care, I fall with my butt into the floor, and instantly I feel all the adrenaline going through my body. I breathe. And keep going to the bottom.

As we go down the air becomes more toxic, and the use of the mask becomes essential, making breathing more difficult every minute.

ANOTHER REALITY

The entire descent is silent and on the way, I share my path with the workers. They go up and down the volcano, without masks, without hesitation. Some smile shyly, others look like lifeless bodies carrying the weight of sulfur on their backs. And I feel the raw weight of reality mixed with my heavy breathing. We share the same path but in such different realities.

While some pay to go down the volcano, others go down the volcano to get someone to pay them

And amid the darkness, I just can feel grateful and blessed for the life I have.

THE CLIMB

We reached the end and literally inside the crater of a volcano I choose a rock and sit down to admire the dance of those iridescent blue lights. I feel the unbreathable atmosphere mixed with a kind of war noise and the rocky landscape and the workers … if this is the hell I just can say that hell is impactful but at the same time, it’s still amazing.

We go up.

We decided to start the climb at night, and watch the sunrise at the top of the crater and not inside of it. The climb is equally complicated, as breathing becomes increasingly difficult. At some point I gave in to the desire to remove the mask, however, feeling the toxic air was worse than the difficulty in breathing.

We go up.

THE FIRST MORNINH LIGHT

It is still night and I can only sense those giant shadows around me. And beside me, I can sense an immense void.

It begins to dawn and sunlight gradually reaches the crater, revealing the landscape. The void turns into a lake that changes from gray to vibrant blue. A static lake. Imposing. In the distance, next to the lake, it is possible to see the sulfur smoke coming from the mountains, there is life in the rocky crater of a volcano.

THE “TRIP”

At the crater´s top, everything is peace. Everything is calm. Everything is silent, apart from one bird or another. The morning fog gives the landscape an ethereal atmosphere, and for a moment I feel like I’m in heaven. I think about the experience I just had. I don’t know if it was because I went there without no sleep but I felt like that volcano was the biggest trip.

The difficult descent combined with all those workers seemed to me like purgatory. Followed by the hell of blue flames and toxic gas, full of weight and density. Culminating in the climb, in the peace, and in the first sunlight. Heaven.

I know. Easly I can turn reality in a movie in my head.

ALIGNING EXPECTATIONS

I must confess to you that my enthusiasm for seeing the blue fire was the same as my desire to see the sunrise in the crater of a volcano.

However, the day dawned cloudy and we were not entitled to a sunrise with pink colors and clear skies, but it was no less intense for that. Still, we were able to see the whole landscape before the volcano was completely covered by clouds, disappearing like a mirage.