Just beyond the steep drop I stumble on three rockhopper penguins pushing themselves into a narrow crevice. They’re doing their best to keep out my way.
Between the outskirts of Yogyakarta and Magelang lay my last stop on the bemo. Im dropped where cattle grazing fields and fruit tree plantations collide with the rising valley ground between the peaks Merapi and Merbabu.
Ever heard about the worst job on earth? Well, neither do we before we set our feet and camped on Mount Ijen, one of the most famous volcano in East Java.
The last time I excitedly went into a rant about the race, 78 degrees North and how incredible it’s going to be, whilst on crutches, a mountain guide replied you can forget about it.
Our tracker, Shadrack, leads the way through the African bush. My family and I have spent days adventuring with him in an open air land cruiser. On safari, encountering all the big five.
The Jeep takes off over a hump in the dirt path, launching our heads at the roof. In the back, the four of us sink low on the two side facing benches, pressing our shoulders into the walls and jamming our feet under the person opposite.