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Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God”

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Take joy that He watches over us

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.”

Ecclesiastes 4:12

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Stick together team

It was a Sunday evening when I tagged along a few others to watch them play soccer. Having to bring my camera along, I decided to take a few shots of the game itself. It was my first time having to take pictures of sports as a whole, and so I was quite unsure of how to go about doing it.

Before the game started, everyone prepared themselves. I thought that it was rather interesting to see how they warmed up and how they went on with their pre-game moment.

As the game began, I began to walk from one side to the other along the soccer field trying to find shots that could depict a soccer moment.

Since soccer was a game of leg power and technique, I thought it would be perfect if I could interpret the moment through pictures of the lower half of the body. It would show the action of the game itself, the game play and perhaps even allow the viewer to imagine the tension from it.

With a couple of shots of just the lower half of the body, I decided to adventure to the emotional side of soccer. Legs did not show me how much there was to soccer, all I saw through it was just action, and yet no tension. No satisfaction. I was sure there was more to it than just that.  I moved my camera towards the different things that the players did while they had the soccer ball close by, the different actions and faces they made, and the moments that were just precious.

Was soccer just all that? The hilarious moments, the action, the running, kicking and pushing? Amidst all that fierce competition, tension, muscle strain moments, I surprised myself with a little discovery that I made.

Although it sounds simple, I figured what caused them to play soccer faithfully.

I summarised it as:

While legs weaken, friendship toughens

And I am glad to have witnessed all that.

Just a game?

I doubt it.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.

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Sunrise from Mt Penanjakan

Sunset at Tampines

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” ~ Lamentations 3:22-23

Grasping on to the wonderous beauty of a mercy that is renewed every single time a morning begins.

I bet that changes lives.

Smiles like these were seen throughout the journey in Kawah Ijen despite  harsh working conditions.

Kawah Ijen, a well known treasury storing massive amounts of sulphur produced by the active volcano fumes. Located in East Java, Kawah Ijen stands as one of the most amazing sites found in the world. It is known not because of its scenic location, and neither for its notorious slopes, but because of the people who inhabit the area, the sulphur miners.

These sulphur miners each carry about 70 to 90kg worth of sulphur in their baskets carried on their shoulders, and conquer the steep 4km slopes at angle almost 45 degrees. They are paid 150 rupees a kg, in other words, a penny, and according to the guides there, the miners earn about 70,000 rupiah per day. All in all, that only makes up a measly sum of $5!

Trees and plants unable to survive in atmosphere filled with sulphur dioxide

On observation, one would realize that these sulphur miners had terrible bent backs, followed by feet with sprayed toes. They had beautifully made muscles, without doubt due to their constant hard work of being carriages to sulphur slabs.

The wind changing direction, causing fumes of sulphur dioxide to head towards the direction of all the tourists

One of the main concerns over the miners is the fact that they have to breathe sulphur dioxide in large amounts every single day. Many doctors have actually pondered as to how much damage that could do to the respiratory system of the miners, and how it would affect their lifespan. Some have tried to provide solutions such as gas masks, however, the miners were too poor to restock the filters in the gas masks, making it useless to even wear it. Even though these miners consume large amounts of sulphur dioxide daily, they continue their daily rituals of smoking. It is indeed heartbreaking to see how a whole community can be so naïve towards the importance of healthy living.

It is even more shocking to find out that many of these sulphur miners started their career when they were very young, all these just so that they would be able to support their family, eagerly awaiting their return.

The Journey

At the entrance of Kawah Ijen, the beginning of a treacherous journey uphill

Mom and I with the guide and the miner

In my journey, what I saw was a beautiful community of Sulphur miners, living a simple life of working, earning their wages, and supporting their families. Their needs were just elemental. They knew not what they lacked, and they were filled with happiness.

When I began my journey with the group, a sulphur miner was asked to accompany us up the slopes. He helped carry some of our bags. A few of us were skeptical at first, thinking that we should not just trust any person with our belongings, especially being in a third world country. I kept my bag with me, not because of fear, but with the thought of not troubling the miner too much, and also not wanting the miners to have bad impressions of foreigners and tourists. However, although not having the full confidence that the miner would be paid, he still offered to carry my bag saying that he could carry a lot more. I would say that that act began a new insight of the people living in Kawah Ijen.

Miner climbing down difficult slopes with ease

We ventured through terribly slopes with crazy inclinations, from a slope at 25 degrees steep, to a slope as steep as 45 degrees. There were hardly even paths for our shoes to have a grip on! At that point, it struck me, if we who were not carrying anything already found it so hard to climb up the slopes of Kawah Ijen, wouldn’t it be worse for the miners there to climb while carrying heavy loads of sulphur?

Miner removing his baskets from the weighing machine

Miner weighing the sulphur

Miner placing his basket down with the rest of the sulphur-filled baskets at the storage area

The miners had this ‘resting place’ to weigh their sulphur slabs they have collected and also take a break. They would place these baskets on the weighing scale (far above), get the measurements and place them in the storage area (above). It was heartwarming to also see how the miners would offer one another cigarettes or even bottles of water along the journey.

When we arrived at the peak of Kawah Ijen, what we saw was a beautiful crater where a turquoise lake inhabited. The guide mentioned that the lake was at pH 0.5 and at temperature 50 degrees Celsius. I could just imagine the fear that runs through the minds of the miners every single day while mining for sulphur, with the hope that they would not fall in.

Miners slowly maneuvering their way through the narrow rocky paths

Mr. Tan and I decided that we should go down the crater since the wind direction was good (the wind was blowing the sulphur fumes away from the tourists and from the path for heading down the crater). It was indeed a tedious task, we had to slowly grapple our way through the narrow stone path, using one hand to support ourselves on the stones beside us, and the other holding our cameras. A few times we even had to squat so low so that we would be able to stretch to the next step.

Having to squeeze to one side to allow the miner to walk past due to narrow paths

The miner who followed us refused to let Mr. Tan’s hand go. He wanted to make sure that Mr. Tan, being one of the oldest, was safe. The guide and I made the other pair. A few times we skidded across the rocks and that made the guide gasp really loudly. How is it possible that these miners are able to climb their way up and down with sulphur baskets weighing 70-90kg on their backs?

It was truly amazing! The steepness of this rocky path was another factor to consider, any wrong step, and that could send one to his doom. I teared while thinking of how much hard work these miners had to put in just to support themselves and their families. All these for 70,000 rupiahs a day!

The steep slopes heading down to the crater

Matters got worse when the wind changed direction suddenly when we were almost at the bottom of the crater. That caused the fumes from the crater to head towards our direction. It was terrifying especially when it causes you to be unable to breathe properly, burns your lungs due to the acidity of sulphur, and leaves a sour aftertaste in your mouth. The screams from tourists made it more frightening. It was impossible to see what was ahead of you as the fumes were really dense. I was so startled I thought I was going to die. I scrambled upwards in the opposite direction, overtaking as many miners as possible and pulling myself up high rocks so as to move swiftly. My guide too was panicking, not because she was afraid of the fumes, but just afraid that I would slip and fall off.

Sulphur fumes causing Kawah Ijen to look like a white sheet of paper

The miners, on the other hand, were amazing. They did not look frightened at all! Instead, they moved at a slower pace (explaining why I had to overtake them), perhaps so that they would not have to inhale too much air. Mr. Tan being an avid photographer insisted that he should continue down (in which he later claimed that the air was better down than up). It was only after awhile I regretted for being too afraid.

We waited for quite some time before Mr. Tan came out from the crater. However he suffered from quite severe cramps on both his legs and that slowed him down. At that point, what moved me wasn’t the fact that Mr. Tan was able to come back up despite his cramps, but the fact that the miner stood alongside him throughout the journey, making sure he was safe and unharmed. The miner even helped Mr. Tan carry his cameras and equipment and helped him up the crater slowly. It touched me quite a lot because the miner could have just gone back to mine for sulphur and earn his daily wages, instead of accompanying a stranger who may not even tip him off in the end. But he chose to ensure Mr. Tan’s safety.

Even for the rest of the journey while Mr. Tan was growling in pain whenever his cramps acted up, the miner stood close by him and held him at certain points. I found that really noble.

Eventually my mom suggested that a few miners carried him down instead, since the situation was not so good. The miners brought a stretcher and brought him down. They did ask for tips at the end since it was quite a difficult task to accomplish. But a few dollars to us was like a whole lottery to them! They left their sulphur baskets at the side of the path, and lifted Mr. Tan.

Miners lifting Mr.Chong on a stretcher

And as Mr. Tan would call it, “First-class Garuda!”

Despite harsh working conditions, and collecting small amounts of wages per day, the miner still had the heart to help someone in need. I made a slight comparison to the people in the corporate working world, earning millions of dollars, or at least 20 times more than what these miners earned, and I saw a huge disparity.

What made them so different?

What made their community so loving? Is it because they are ignorant of what they lack and find joy in the smallest things? Why is it they can live in so much joy despite how tough it is to even make a living? What was the key?

Miner who starred in our journey

As we left the place, the words that were left ringing in my head were from Mr. Tan as he gave a small side hug to the miner and ended the conversation with, “My hero”.

Food for thought:

Can there really be beauty in simplicity?

It would definitely a dream to reach out to these people in Kawah Ijen. To bring an even greater joy and providence they would ever need.