After around 4 ½ hours or train ride, we finally make it to Probolinggo train station. We have much better rest in the train this round as we are taking executive seats. Immediately after we went out from the station, our next challenge arise, transportation to Cemoro Lawang.
Thanks to Erika and Eva Toh blog sharing, I manage to understand the scam method that local people use in order to trap tourist to pay for ridiculous amount of money for their transportation to Cemoro Lawang. Thanks again Erika and Eva!
Their blog link as below:
Here come our story, the yellow van that operating at Probolinggo train station will always approach tourists (very obvious, those with huge luggage or backpack), and ask if they are going to Bromo or not. If your answer is YES, they will offered to bring you to the so call ‘Bus Terminal’ to catch the transport with fee of rupiah 5000. Once you board the yellow van, they will use their tactic by telling you that at this time, there will no longer have bus operated to Cemoro Lawang, and they will keep persuade you to take their taxi.
As for me and my friends, we do have preparations up front to face this. At first we on board the yellow van and agree with rupiah 5000 towards the bus station. Next they start their tactic on the taxi thing, and I politely saying NO to them. After few try, and I insist want to take the bus, they have no choice bus to bring me there. However, here come the second tactic, they stopped at a ‘fake’ bus station (which approximately 1km away from Depot Marinda) and telling us that destination is reached. Luckily I have preparation up front by plotting the actual Depot Marinda location in my phone using MAPS.ME apps, and I confront them that this is not the place that I want. Soon they realize that we are backpacker team that come prepared, they continue the journey and finally drop us at actual Depot Marinda station. Dramatic and great to be smart!
One way that I practice during this experience is I continue to deal with them politely and with a smiley face. Afterall, they are still local people and we are foreigner, it is always nice and safer to keep low profile and don’t provoke them or being emotional when dealing with them.
Once we reach Depot Marinda, we saw 3 british tourists was there waiting for more tourists to come and share the money for the green Bison van to Cemoro Lawang. We have total of 6, and the driver demand for rupiah 650,000 for the whole van, which maximum can fit 15 person. From Erika and Eva sharing, it should only be 450,000 but we understand the price might rise from time to time. We trying to wait if we have more tourists coming to share the load, but from my study, most of the tourists will already took the bison van in the morning, hence normally it is lesser during afternoon time. Hence after few round of negotiation (again, politely and use fun way!), all of us agree on a few of 600,000, mean rupiah 100,000 for each of us to reach Cemoro Lawang.
Google map direction from Probolinggo station to Depot Marinda.
The view of Depot Marinda area, the red box are green Bison van that took us to Cemoro Lawang.
After an hour of ride in green Bison van, we finally reach Cemoro Lawang!
Next itinerary was to check in to our hostel, have our dinner, and have good rest prior to catch the sunrise tomorrow!
Panorama view towards Mount Bromo prior to sunset.
Losmen Adas (Losmen mean hostel in Bahasa Indonesia), and 3 of us are the only occupants there during our first night stay!
Location is quite strategic, and basic infrastructure is complete though, only 5-10 minutes walk towards the cliff.
Colourful Losmen Adas.
Probolinggo
September 2016
