That day, I went back to climb Mount Ijen after staying at home for a few days. As usual, after weighing my sulfur load, I took a short break and wiped off my sweat by taking off my shirt. At that moment, I didn’t realize that someone was watching me.

He approached and asked while looking at my shoulder, “Sir, do you feel pain on your shoulder?”
“Yes, it hurts,” I replied.

That’s how I met Ulet Ifansasti, a photojournalist from Yogyakarta who came to cover a reportage about sulfur mining at Ijen Crater. He asked if I would mind being photographed. I said, “Sure, it’s okay.”

He seemed happy and asked me to accompany him for three days. During that time, I guided him around, helping him find good locations for his work. I was very happy those three days—not only because I didn’t have to carry heavy sulfur loads, but also because I learned from him how to take good photographs.

Since then, I’ve had the idea of becoming a tour guide who really knows Ijen Crater. My picture has appeared in photo news media such as Boston.com and Life.com.

Embed from Getty Images