The bus from Solo to Gunung Bromo National Park takes ten hours, plus a change of buses in Probolinggo. It’s basically ten solid hours of risky passing maneuvers. The road is in excellent condition but has only two lanes, and there are many trucks that crawl along at 30 km/h. So long lines form, and the driver whose patience runs out first – often a big bus – will turn into oncoming traffic and cut back into some small gap in the line just before a head-on collision becomes inevitable. It’s a game of chicken played with flashing headlights. And a large number of motorcycles swarm through little gaps like angry hornets. Saw a big truck laying on its side, still loaded with motorcycles.

For the first time since arriving in Singapore three weeks ago, I sleep in absolute silence.