Where I went. What I paid. What happened.

At 1 AM, I left the room and walked a few meters to the meeting point. Miners were gathering around a fire by 2 AM. I met Ole, who was from Norway; Sur did not recognize me until I took off my cap.

I reached Banyuwangi after a six-hour bus ride from Bali and a ferry. Finding transport and a place to stay late that night took work. At Lintang Luku Tent Resort Ijen, a loud waterfall kept me awake. The next day I walked the bicycle the hotel gave me because I was scared to ride it. In the village, Sur corrected my guess: the crop drying in the sun was cloves.