At around 6 AM after we finished watching the sunrise, we headed to the main course of this trip, the Mt Bromo crater and right after, we were presented with two side courses which are equally mesmerizing ; The sea of whispering sands and the savanna.

The Sea of Whispering Sands

The tourist knows it as the whispering sands ; locals said it creates a whispery sound when the wind blows through it. I was really expecting to see a snake passing through or some form of wildlife but our driver, Mr Mul told me that once, the authorities released a lot of snakes but their attempt was in vain. The snakes died a few months after because of the temperature and the sulfur surrounding the area.

This place is a heaven for photographers yet surprisingly, I only see a few with a professional camera. From what I gather, they are all mostly either tour organizers or pre-wedding photographers.

The other day, I posted about a recent scandal involving the mountain where photographers were charged that opened numerous cans of worms from this place. But that day, I wasn't being charged for bringing my camera. There was no charge of bringing a cellphone camera either unlike what I saw in the past. There were no staff around checking us and the people were as friendly as they could. I guess the social media impacted the way they approach their hospitality. The place had been inactive for 2 years and now, if they treat the tourists badly, it would only make it harder for them to recover.

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Savanna of Mt Bromo

As our jeep was cruising the place, I pulled down the window until I could see everything clearly. The view stole my heart and it was surreal to experience it all over again after a long time.

In the past, this place was the witness where I found out that I had a knack for photography. It was with my friend's camera where I was taking pictures of them and they liked it. Then a few years after, I got a few paid gigs here and there.

I still had one old picture from this place that I treasure so much. Visiting the place brings back the memories of where it all started. I am quite content that now I didn't have to borrow someone else's camera just to do any photography work. It's not that I have the most advanced camera but like other amateur photographers, I am just happy when I can capture something that not only pleases my eyes but others too.

The landscape of this place is beyond everything I've seen and I was so pleased to gather some decent-looking shots.

Like its name, when our jeep cruising through the sea of whispering sands, we start to hear things. Although that day the place wasn't as dry but we can still hear occasional whispers. It was blissful and I wished to stay there longer.

Our jeep driver seemed to have caught up with what I wanted and he took us to most scenic spots and quiet ones where there are only a few people. As we stopped in one of the spots, another driver yelled at him, " looking for a quiet place aren't ya?". He yelled back and said, " Yes!" but we were already about to leave.

In front of us was the hill known as teletubbies hill although it's actually a savanna. They are calling this teletubbies because it looks like that hill from the teletubbies show. Although, to me, it doesn't actually look like it. I guess, a catchy name association works for these places.

On our way back, we met with some bikers that were racing through the sands. It seemed very thrilling and something I would love to do in the future. I personally didn't want the trip to end that soon but because I had to be mindful of my dad who has to work, so we ended the trip way earlier.

This is the place that you should never miss when visiting Bromo National Park. You will be awed with its scenery and how blissful this place makes you feel. This place makes you want to be in that moment indefinitely.

In other news, this is my 5th year on hive!

Looking back, so much has happened and my content, especially the pictures improved a lot. From the beginning, I was intending this place to be a travel blog because I was nomading in Bali, then it changes into some form of poetry, philosophy, slices of life, cooking blogs and now it's all a little bit of travel, photography, lots of coffee, with some slices of life and literature in between.

I am thankful for everyone's support and the friends I made on this chain, including the one that I got to meet IRL. Here's to more people I can meet IRL soon :D

This year has been a bittersweet. One of my closest hive friends @marillaanne passed away due to cancer. She was a great friend and a mentor that I can confide in and a place to turn to when I see no lights out. It has greatly impacted me and even today, it is still hard to believe she is no longer with us. You will never know who you will meet in Hive. You can meet your future partner, build a longlife friendship or maybe make life changing money.

I suppose for newcomers this place can be a bit strange, complicated, but if you get the hang of it, you never know what you'll find.

Also, you can ask me any questions on this special occasion and I'll be answering those. Anyone with a great question or maybe a quirky one will get a tip from me. Cheers!

Mac's Pinmapple Travel List

Don't hesitate to upvote for more content like this !

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