A well-made documentary movie ever seen on the internet tells about a working day of the sulfur mine. A well directed and narrated to show the whole picture of common activities in Kawah Ijen. It took a month filming this scene. A part of Working Man’s Death documentary featured on Al Jazeera.
Filmmaker: Michael Glawogger / http://www.workingmansdeath.at
Featured on the latest sulfur mine of Mt. Ijen editorial images by Athit Perawongmetha:
As Kawah Ijen has many visitors to come nowadays, offering a unique form of sulfur as a souvenir would benefit to the miners. A natural artistic form of sulfur comes from the sulfur melting drop and miners pull it carefully to get the stalactite like sulfur form. Often they also prepare the other forms by putting it in the plastic pudding mold. Some of them can be found in the form of turtle, butterfly, crap, and apple.
A miner puts the melting sulfur into a mold
Mr. Budi prepares for sulfur trophy stand
At the eastern tip of Java – Indonesia, a large caldera region stretching from the catastrophic eruption of an old giant volcano during the Pleistocene geological period, making it the largest caldera in Java with a diameter of 20 km. The complex consists of dozens of small, extinct stratovolcanos, among them formed the crater. With a wide panorama of mountains and natural, it’s no wonder that this region has become a popular tourist destination. Ijen Crater, the only phenomenal crater with the most acidic crater lake in the world, making many people to travel here.
A massive ijen plateau caldera
In Ijen plateau there are two estates that are managed by PT Perkebunan Nusantara XII. The estates are Kalisat Jampit plantation and Blawan Plantation. The plantation is well-grown with arabica coffee cultivation. Coffee arabica Ijen plateau known in foreign countries as Java Coffee . the coffee taste is mild with a sense of bitter and sour, in contrast with robusta coffee it tastes just bitter only. An interesting area to visit is Jampit coffee plantations and 6 hectares strawberry garden area. To access this area you can get from the three junction point of Sempol, by traveling along 14km. The scenery of coffee plantations dominate the area. In the area of Jampit there is a building that is now served as a guest house. Although located remotely, the impressed Jampit guess house was very well known among foreign tourists. The listed visitor on the guest book varies from France, the Netherlands, and England. Engraved his impressions during his stay at the guess house with a synonim of “Holland House” as it is fluoris with flowers of Europe. Jampit situated on the altitude of 1100 up to 1,600 meters above sea level.
Formerly, when the Dutch colonial administrated, this old building had function as a high officer dwelling house . The uniqueness of this house found on the architecture, built mostly of wood. Wooden floor has found out on the second floor and this serves as a living room, kitchen, dining area and fireplace. Looking out of the window, there is the beauty of blooming flower on the yards and the shadow of mountainous landscape seen from the veranda.
The entire building built mostly made of wood
The Ijen sulfur miners are usually staying in the camp for several days. They work on the mountain for 15 days on average in a month and stay at home for the other 15 days. Among of them have to work longer. They have to stay for 1-2 months in all-limited conditions.
They eat and sleep in the huts that are far from worthy of being called as a camp. The room mingled with ticked smell of sulfur which is closely coupled a fireplace for cooking. The distance from the mine site makes them have to bring food supply and cook it in the workers’ camp ..
Sleep sharing, bare ragged cardboard and dingy blankets inside a dark booth space, complete their togetherness that emanated meeting in that room cabin. As evening approached, it’s very valuable time to spend outside the hut just because chunks of ‘golden yellow’ has been waiting for them when dawn arrives …
The night is long and windy on that altitude, cold penetrates bone, bellow 15 degree centigrade sometime. There’s nothing much to do, only the faint of insects buzzing in the dimmed evening, getting colder. Serene and silent …
Dimmed shelter at the base Paltuding. (photo:Pierpaolo Mittica)
Sulfur is a yellow, non-metallic element with medicinal properties. The use of sulfur as a therapeutic agent dates back nearly 70 years. However, in recent years it has received little attention. In dermatology, sulfur has been employed in the treatment of many diseases, including acne vulgaris, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, dandruff, pityriasis versicolor, scabies, and warts
Sulfur has antifungal, antibacterial, and keratolytic activity. In the past, its use was widespread in dermatological disorders such as acne vulgaris, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, dandruff, pityriasis versicolor, scabies, and warts. Adverse events associated with topically applied sulfur are rare and mainly involve mild application site reactions. Sulfur, used alone or in combination with agents such as sodium sulfacetamide or salicylic acid, has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of many dermatological conditions.
Raw volcanic sulfur just taken from the crater vent
