{"id":34569,"date":"2022-10-03T10:00:33","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T08:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solkes.com\/?p=34569"},"modified":"2026-09-03T15:55:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T13:55:32","slug":"devils-gold-mines-ijen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solkes.com\/en\/urban\/2022\/10\/devils-gold-mines-ijen\/","title":{"rendered":"The Devil\u2019s Gold Mines: Life in Ijen\u2019s Sulfur Mines"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>his story is real. If we wanted to invent the nightmare and danger to which these people are exposed 2,700 meters above sea level, I don\u2019t think we could come up with so many details. This account is by no means a fairy tale. The experiences of the men who inspire these lines have made us demand justice.<\/p>\n

The Devil\u2019s Gold Mines: It Looked Like a TV Show<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

What we were about to witness with our own eyes seemed like something we would only ever see on television screens.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Carlos Eduardo Esquivel Pardo \u00a9 Solkes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Early that Friday morning, at the base of the IJEN volcano, 2,700 meters above sea level, we met Alby Alfarizi.<\/p>\n

Alfarizi is a miner like many others in the area. He is not particularly stocky, but has a strong and sturdy build. He is slim, even more so in the face, short in stature, dark-skinned, and above all, always friendly.<\/p>\n

With his broad smile, transparent gaze, and basic English, which he can only practice when tourists visit the area, he became our guide in this place full of contrasts.<\/p>\n

It was 3 a.m. when Alby offered us a cup of **kopi luwak**.<\/p>\n

Kopi means coffee in Indonesian, while the luwak is a groundhog-like animal that eats ripe coffee beans. Once the animal defecates them, the coffee is collected and processed. It is considered one of the most expensive and unique coffees in the world and is produced in a nearby village.<\/p>\n

With the cup of coffee in our hands, the minutes passed and the cold ran through our bodies. We tried to ease the low temperatures with some logs that, despite the smoke, helped us warm up.<\/p>\n

At that hour of the morning, the only way to reach the IJEN volcano was by private transportation. We therefore hired a service before midnight to pick us up in Bondowoso, a coffee-growing village not far from the volcanic area we were heading toward.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Carlos Eduardo Esquivel Pardo \u00a9 Solkes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The south of the island of Java, in faraway Indonesia, has a very particular geography. It is a mountainous area filled with coffee plantations and roads with sharp curves. It is sparsely populated in terms of urban centers, so public transportation remains very limited.<\/p>\n

After drinking the kopi luwak, we headed to the entrance of the KAWAH IJEN GEOLOGICAL PARK<\/a><\/span>. We paid 8 dollars for the entrance ticket and collected some gas masks. According to our guide, we would need them once we reached the base of the crater.<\/p>\n

That was when our adventure to the crater of **KAWAH IJEN** volcano began. It is one of more than 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia that form part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.<\/p>\n

A few days earlier, some locals living on the slopes of Mount Bromo had recommended that we visit this area. We were therefore eager to see a natural phenomenon that, in Indonesia, can only be witnessed at KAWAH IJEN.<\/p>\n

This effect is called **The Blue Fire**. It occurs when fire emerging from deep within the earth, due to the presence of sulfur dioxide gases associated with volcanic activity, takes on an intense blue hue.<\/p>\n

We Began the Ascent of the Volcano<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

So there we were, with more enthusiasm than energy, ready to continue the adventure. The trail was difficult from the very beginning.<\/p>\n

There were only 100 flat meters before we reached a wet and slippery dirt path. It climbed uphill at angles that probably reached 45 degrees.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Carlos Eduardo Esquivel Pardo \u00a9 Solkes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, perhaps noticing our labored breathing and the fatigue beginning to show, Alby reassured us. He told us that in a couple of kilometers we would reach a long plateau before arriving at the volcano\u2019s crater rim.<\/p>\n

It was there, during that long uphill walk, that he told us a little about his life as a miner and guide. He spoke about Diana, his wife, and Alfarizi, his son.<\/p>\n

That conversation and what we experienced in the crater that day inspired us to write these lines.<\/p>\n

Half an hour had passed since we began our hike toward the volcano\u2019s crater when, in the middle of the ascent, we noticed something that generated more than curiosity. It made us deeply uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

Alby\u2019s fellow miners, small like him, were using a kind of taxi. But it was more like a stretcher with wheels.<\/p>\n

They offered to carry tourists, large or small, uphill along the 3.5 kilometers separating us from the entrance to the crater rim.<\/p>\n

In the best English colonial style, three guides would pull with all their strength any tourist willing to pay the 800,000 rupiahs that the service cost, around USD $60.<\/p>\n

This amount had to be divided equally among the three brave porters.<\/p>\n

We thought it was absurd that someone in full possession of their physical abilities would pay for this kind of service, reminiscent of the Belgian style in the Congo.<\/p>\n

However, we later understood why these friendly guides competed to carry heavy tourists. They were promised around USD $20 each after completing their titanic task.<\/p>\n

It seemed like very little. But later we learned that it was the best option available to them.<\/p>\n

Alby kept his word. After traveling a little less than two kilometers uphill, we reached the plateau that announced our proximity to the crater rim.<\/p>\n

According to our friendly guide, the \u201ceasy\u201d part of the trail would end there. We would then begin a descent of about 45 minutes along the volcano\u2019s steep, rocky walls until we reached the turquoise-blue lake at the bottom, right next to the volcano\u2019s calderas.<\/p>\n

Despite the distance, the darkness, and the cold of the night, we could see the volcano\u2019s fumaroles in the distance. They were filled with the sulfur that would give us the natural spectacle we had been so eager to see.<\/p>\n

Around 50 tourists were with us. Eager to witness the phenomenon, they descended over the same rocky terrain, guided only by the flashlights attached to their heads.<\/p>\n

Finally, around 4:30 a.m., we received the instructions from our guide that we had been waiting for. They announced the imminent end of our hike.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease put on your gas masks. From this moment on, the gases are harmful to your lungs. Do not remove them at any time unless we are away from the fumaroles.\u201d<\/p>\n

These were the same fumaroles emerging from the center of the earth.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Carlos Eduardo Esquivel Pardo \u00a9 Solkes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along with her instructions came some advice that proved extremely useful during the following hours in the crater:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see smoke surrounding you, don\u2019t panic. Just kneel down, stay low, close your eyes, and wait for the smoke to dissipate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The truth is that we did not expect it to be so serious. Nor did we expect to actually need this advice.<\/p>\n

So we simply listened with some disbelief and walked the final 20 meters to where the blue fire could be seen more clearly.<\/p>\n

To be fair to ourselves and to the reader who has made it this far, we must say that if the blue fire was present, it was clearly visible.<\/p>\n

It was certainly a curiosity. And although it was an impressive phenomenon, there was very little of it. It was small and constantly obscured by the volcano\u2019s fumes.<\/p>\n

To observe the phenomenon or get a decent photograph, we had to share the scene with another 50 people who wanted the same thing.<\/p>\n

After the initial excitement of the first five minutes had passed, and with some disappointment, although definitely grateful to be there, we simply observed the phenomenon from a distance and explored the surrounding area.<\/p>\n

After all, we were standing inside the crater of a volcano, and that was no small thing.<\/p>\n

The Devil\u2019s Gold Mines: The Miners of Hell<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

It was there, at the bottom of the crater, while exploring the area, that we noticed, with disbelief, something that seemed invisible to the eyes and cameras of the other tourists.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Carlos Eduardo Esquivel Pardo \u00a9 Solkes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dozens of Indonesians, all small men like Alby and his friends, had been working since the early hours of the morning right next to the clouds of sulfurous gases.<\/p>\n

These gases are extremely harmful to health and reach very high temperatures.<\/p>\n

The men were mining sulfur, or what the locals call \u201cthe devil\u2019s gold.\u201d<\/p>\n

This group of men mingled with the hordes of tourists who had arrived there. They were almost invisible to many of them.<\/p>\n

Using metal rods about two meters long, they approached the volcano\u2019s fumaroles. There, sulfur gas condensed into a blood-red liquid.<\/p>\n

After cooling and hardening, it became sulfur ore. They then broke it into small, light-yellow stones.<\/p>\n

These stones had to be collected and broken into smaller pieces for transportation.<\/p>\n

They worked amid clouds of toxic gas with virtually no industrial protection for their feet or hands. They had only a light respirator, more suitable for the paint industry than for open-pit mining.<\/p>\n

We moved a little farther away from the fire. About 30 meters away, there were other cracks in the volcano from which sulfurous fumes poured out.<\/p>\n

These brave miners turned the material into rocks and then filled their handmade wicker baskets with them.<\/p>\n

The baskets weighed between 50 and 90 kilograms.<\/p>\n

It was at that moment that we decided to document through images what we believed to be the most difficult, dangerous, and poorly paid job in the world.<\/p>\n

Still in the darkness, around 5:30 in the morning, we approached a miner who was breaking a rock weighing around 150 kilograms with a small axe.<\/p>\n

That was when a cloud of sulfur dioxide gas completely enveloped us.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Carlos Eduardo Esquivel Pardo \u00a9 Solkes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Remembering Alby\u2019s recommendations, we crouched down and closed our eyes, waiting for the gas to pass so that we could continue documenting this strange place in images.<\/p>\n

But the cloud remained.<\/p>\n

Our eyes began to burn, even with them closed. A lump in our throats made it difficult to breathe.<\/p>\n

After a few seconds, the sensation gave way to an overwhelming urge to vomit and unmistakable despair.<\/p>\n

Just as desperation was taking over our minds because of the toxic atmosphere and our inability to do anything about it, the cloud dissipated.<\/p>\n

Once again, the sky became clear and transparent. The miners continued working as if none of this had ever happened.<\/p>\n

The Mineral Is the Only Thing That Matters<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The gas clouds came and went without warning. Everything depended on the will of the volcano.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, as we approached them, we could hear, with disbelief, the sounds they made when the clouds enveloped them.<\/p>\n

It was a strange mixture of moans, discomfort, and the urge to vomit coming from their injured throats.<\/p>\n

Yet after a few seconds, they would return to the depths of the volcano\u2019s fumaroles and continue their mining work.<\/p>\n

They had no other choice.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Carlos Eduardo Esquivel Pardo \u00a9 Solkes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just before dawn, still cold and under a clear sky, a miner approached us.<\/p>\n

He extended his hand and offered us a piece of sulfur for sale, freshly taken from the depths of the volcano.<\/p>\n

The headlamp on his forehead illuminated us but prevented us from seeing his face.<\/p>\n

There was a great deal of smoke because of our proximity to a crack in the volcano, and it was dark.<\/p>\n

He did not speak. He simply held out a piece of \u201cthe devil\u2019s gold\u201d in his hand.<\/p>\n

It was then, after we refused to buy his product, that we realized this situation was nothing more than an analogy for the lives of almost all these brave and forgotten miners who inspire these lines.<\/p>\n

We never knew who was behind that piece of sulfur. We had no time to find out.<\/p>\n

He left and disappeared among the volcano\u2019s fumaroles.<\/p>\n

All we were left with was the image of the sulfur.<\/p>\n

The mineral is the only thing that matters in these lands.<\/p>\n

It is the mineral that the company holding the license buys under conditions of human indignity. It is used to whiten sugar, produce beauty creams, or manufacture matches.<\/p>\n

But that is all that matters: \u201cthe mineral.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not the human face. Not the humanity belonging to the hands that stole this from Mother Earth in the depths of a volcano on an island in faraway Indonesia.<\/p>\n

We stayed in the area until after 9 a.m.<\/p>\n

The night gave way to a bright, sunny morning that allowed us to see the full beauty of the place where we welcomed the sun that day.<\/p>\n

It was undoubtedly a beautiful and unique place, with an intensely turquoise-blue lake.<\/p>\n

Yet this was nothing more than a lake of sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid at 40 degrees Celsius, a product of volcanic activity.<\/p>\n

It revealed itself in all its splendor while the miners continued their Promethean labor.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Carlos Eduardo Esquivel Pardo \u00a9 Solkes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The tourists had already left the area with the first light of day.<\/p>\n

Only these men remained, working as if nothing had happened.<\/p>\n

They continued repeating their eternal present, without the slightest hope that anything would change for them or their families.<\/p>\n

They remained devoted to mining \u201cthe devil\u2019s gold.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the calm of those who are not in a hurry, we had the opportunity to speak with some of them.<\/p>\n

These men told us that they begin their workday around 1 a.m.<\/p>\n

They make the entire journey on foot, covering the nearly four kilometers that we had traveled to the crater.<\/p>\n

Once there, with no greater protection than that simple paint mask, some of them even wearing sandals, they begin the task of extracting several kilograms from the nearly six tons of sulfur ore that the volcano can naturally produce in a day.<\/p>\n

They then carry it uphill on their shoulders, once or twice a day, with their precious load of \u201cthe devil\u2019s gold,\u201d weighing up to 90 kilograms.<\/p>\n

This allows them to sell the sulfur for 1,250 rupiahs per kilogram, around six U.S. cents.<\/p>\n

The Sad Conclusion<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

In other words, in the 21st century, these miners expose their lives, health, and physical integrity to danger.<\/p>\n

They work long hours without any protection from toxic gases or burns.<\/p>\n

They work under undignified conditions that humanity should have overcome long ago.<\/p>\n

These condemned men transport loads of sulfur for the company that sometimes exceed their own body weight.<\/p>\n

They earn less than eight dollars a day.<\/p>\n

All of this takes place before the eyes and with the complicity of hundreds of people who either do not see or do not want to see the despicable and reprehensible nature of this practice.<\/p>\n

They visit the volcano solely for the purpose of taking a photograph to remember the experience.<\/p>\n

This is how frivolous and unjust the reality is in these distant lands.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Carlos Eduardo Esquivel Pardo \u00a9 Solkes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As we said at the beginning of this chronicle, this is why the miners prefer to carry heavy tourists 3.5 kilometers uphill.<\/p>\n

In this way, at least they do not risk their lives in the jaws of the volcano.<\/p>\n

And as difficult as it may be, it is easier than the work they do every day.<\/p>\n

Finally, we made the nearly four-kilometer journey back to the base of the volcano.<\/p>\n

Along the way, we talked with Alby about his dreams, his fears, his inability to leave this job, and his life in general.<\/p>\n

He told us about his plans to have another child and how what he earns barely covers the 15,000 rupiahs he needs for gasoline to get to the volcano.<\/p>\n

The money he has left he gives to his wife, Diana.<\/p>\n

With it, she feeds the family, pays the school fees for little Alfaziri, and has a little left over for the payments on their used motorcycle.<\/p>\n

The \u201csalary\u201d Alby earns is not bad. In fact, it is above the average in INDONESIA<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, under these working conditions and given the company\u2019s reluctance to protect its miners, it is certain that neither Alby nor the hundreds of miners who work there will have an old age in which they can enjoy their children and grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, tourists will continue to arrive in search of a photograph.<\/p>\n

A<\/span>nd the company will continue to make money with impunity at the expense of the safety of men condemned to sell not only their labor, but also their health, their dreams, and their dignity in order to survive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This story is real. If we wanted to invent the nightmare and danger to which these people are exposed 2,700 meters above sea level, I don\u2019t think we could come up with so many details. This account is by no means a fairy tale. 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