After arriving in the big city of Jakarta we were quick to get out and head to the coast. Catching a 4hr bus for $3 sounded good, so we headed to Carita, a small beach town popular to both Indonesians and travelers hoping to get a glimpse of Krakatau’s eruptions.

Krakatau made a name for itself when it blew itself apart in 1883 with the loudest bang ever recorded on earth, heard as far away as Australia.  Krakatau had been dormant for 200 years before it started waking from it’s sleep in the spring of 1883, but by August it was raging.  On August 27, 1883, Krakatau erupted so explosively that it sent up a ash into the air 80 Km high and threw up 20 cubic kilometers of rock.  Ash came down on ships as far as 6000 Km away.  But most devastating for this area, was the tsunami caused by the collapsing of the volcano after eruption.  The tsunami, more then 40 km high, swept over and devastated the shores of Java and Sumatra; 165 villages were destroyed and more then 36 000 people were killed.  It was said that there were measurable waves felt as far away as the English Channel.  Not a single plant was found on Krakatau a few months after the eruption, but the amazing return of life to the islands have been studied ever since.  Now, over 100 years after the eruption, it almost seems like the plants and trees were never disturbed.  Krakatau actually consists of multiple islands in the immediate area, and the island volcano most commonly known as Krakatau was actually born after the blast.  The lava continued to pour out under the water for almost two more years, and this is what gave birth to Anak Krakatau about 80 years ago.  Anak Krakatau has an uncertain temperament which sends out showers of rock, smoke and ash.  Sadly, during our visit, we only were able to see the smoke coming from the top as well as many areas covering the volcano.  We could feel the heat from the outer cone that we were able to hike to up to.  We tried to go a little further, against recommendation from our guide, but the heat and smell of sulfur was too great.  The area was really beautiful, the water was incredibly blue and the ocean and black sand was HOT.  We spent some time snorkeling in the area, and we amazed by the amount of coral that was still alive, compared to other reefs we have seen around the world.

I remember studying the famed Krakatau in Mr. Koop’s grade 6 science class so it was exciting to have the chance to actually hike it.