Our first taste of inter-city bus travel in Indonesia was far more enjoyable than expected. Firstly, there is a lovely tradition here of buskers hopping on the bus and playing a few tunes for the passengers. It seems to be a well-appreciated form of entertainment; almost all our fellow passengers (who were all local) gave a few coins to these talented travelling musicians. Secondly, most of the population of central Java seemed intent om helping to ensure that we got to our destination as planned. It was a sign of things to come, as we encountered many smiley, friendly and helpful people during our time in the highlands.
The village of Dieng is perched high up in the misty, green mountains. We had been forewarned about the afternoon rains, which apparently fall almost every day in Dieng's unique climate. We set off early for our first tastes of Indonesia's volcanically created features. First was Telaga Warna, a sulphorous lake coloured turquoise. We then hiked up to the Sikidang crater, an incredible bubbling and steaming volcanic pool.
Exactly on time, the rain started pouring down as we made our way to the nearby temple complex of Candi Arjuna. It was a peaceful spot, deserted apart from a lovely and friendly old man returning from working in the field who chatted away to us in incredibly good English.
After three days up high, it was time to think about Sam's birthday and Alex had promised to take care of the accommodation as we headed east again towards the island of Lombok...
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