At the crater rim: Kawah Ijen—Caroline Helbig
The turquoise acid lake deep inside Kawah Ijen (Ijen crater) looks like it could be home to one of James Bond’s diabolical foes. Incredibly beautiful, but possessing the strength of car battery acid, Kawah Ijen is the world’s largest sulfuric acid lake.
Traveling to this remote part of East Java Indonesia, I was overwhelmed by the scenery and humbled by the men who earn their living here. Kawah Ijen is the site of an extremely labour intensive sulfur mining operation. Watching the miners go about their daily work—a job so physically demanding and dangerous— you’ll think twice before complaining about your job again. Continue reading
Writes of Passage 