(continued from Part two: The coffee farmer on the volcano.)
A loud thud resonates through my bones as my head slams into the metal ceiling once again as the driver forgets to tap his brakes in lieu of an oncoming speed bump. I can attest to the strength of this inconspicuous van, in that my head hasn’t yet left even a dent in the roof despite repeated attempts. There are speed limit signs here in Guatemala, but in a country where low literacy rates result in buses needing …
(continued from Part one: The holiest of weeks in Antigua.)
It is dawn. Spiralling upward, a rickety metal staircase presents the first task of the day: climbing up from the kitchen to the rooftop terrace with a full cup of coffee, each step creaking and tentative, and hopefully not losing my precious liquid along the way. As I emerge victoriously to the open air from the shadowy indoor light, the sun simultaneously crests an uneven horizon, casting its first light …
This is Kawah Ijen: a group of remote volcanoes in East Java, Indonesia. Getting there is not the simplest task: the one road in and out is only really used at night due to safety reasons. However, this isn’t as backward as it sounds when you take into account the road being so narrow that trees are constantly slapping both sides of your vehicle. While it is technically a two-way road, in the day you can’t see oncoming traffic until it’s too late. At night, headlights…