Making his next motocross Indonesia, I decided to come to the volcano Cava Ian and see with my own eyes, how they live and sulfur mined people who barely live up to 45 years maximum. Many times they read about, seen on TV, but could not understand what motivates people who are having a free choice of work wear for $ 8-20 per day.
Sulfur is mined in only a few places on the planet, and one of these sites, a volcano in the eastern kava Ian Indonesia.
The height of the volcano more than 2000 meters, the descent into the crater to the lake, about another 300 vertical meters.
The ascent to the edge of the crater takes about 1, 5 hours peshkom.Do this on rough roads to travel 3-4 chasa.Mototsikl need to leave vnizu.Podem allowed only on foot.
People who work in the mining of sulfur in this region is about 200 people.
This frail, looking, little man, only 23 goda.Ves about 55kg. On his shoulders with gray baskets weighing 78kg
Collectors of sulfur live about a week in a tent at the bottom of kratora.Oni change their place of production, depending on from which locations shall deliver Volcano sulfur kratere.Poka these places around 4.
A couple of months ago, the Indonesian government has closed this deposit and the passage of the volcano, under the pretext of a life-threatening fumes. Nevertheless, production continues, and I with the Indonesian guide, still managed to climb the volcano and descend into the crater.
The day collectors sulfur doing a two to three walker up, then down to the bottom of the crater, where local buyers sulfur cheaply buy it from working. Thus, working for one a pass, carrying on their shoulders from 70 to 80 kg earns about $ 8 for one a pass.
Since the beginning, the people who work without any gas masks and respirators at the bottom kratora have to climb a very steep, rocky slope to krayu.Eto, about 300 meters vertikali.Ya tried to make the journey with my backpack easy and it took me a minute 20. Workers climb barefoot with 70-80kg on their shoulders.
Being well physically trained and non-smoker, climb to the top of the volcano, even with a 3-pound backpack is already a difficult task. Workers who smoke one and all young men between 18 and 40 years (longer nobody lives) can be done in a day to 3 maximum salable, each time with a 70-80 kg. This is approximately 20 km per day, including almost vertical sections.
At the top of the volcano, about five hundred meters from the crater is a hut with kitchen and the most primitive household items, and two rows of small drawers, cubbyhole, where the workers sleep, they do not live on the bottom of the crater. There's also produced the original weighting of sulfur extracted.
It looks like a raised upward sulfur. Workers suggested that if the taste a little piece, the power increase, and along with sores on the skin heal. I Tried. A couple later sores healed quickly, but a burst of energy is not felt something. The crater is intolerable stink of sulfur and other fumaroles. Sometimes the wind carried a cloud of smoke directly at us, then it became absolutely unbearable. It is unclear how these people kept there even one day.
That would not choke on the toxic fumes constantly working smoke cheap cigarettes, from which constantly kashlyayut.Govoryat that without cigarettes is not enough work force.
I am able to fell only empty basket is not more than 10 kg.) The beam is made of split bamboo and baskets, usually braided.
Knowledgeable people have suggested that the government tried to close the mine under the pretext of danger to life, but the real reason is that the main competitor of the buyer firma- sulfur in the region who gave the officials of the Ministry of Environment bribe.
After an hour spent in the crater kuzhitsya head start. Conductor young guy, too, offered as quickly as possible to rise to the edges of the crater, the more the wind constantly blew us Clubs choking smoke.
A doctor from the local hospital said the oldest, now a lively working-man is 46 years old, 5 years bedridden disease legkih.Proverit this was not possible, but the workers looked 15 years older than their actual age.
Crater Lake, in those moments when the wind carries the smoke in the opposite direction, was unusually turquoise color, which I have not seen in nature, but visited a dozen volcanoes in the world.
Lake beckoned with cool blue. They say that the depth of the lake 500 meters. Dissolve in the acid may be some water in a couple of minutes)
The conductor stated that a few months before my arrival, plunged into the lake some group of Russian, not divers, not the scientists, volcanologists in special suits. I believe it was not easy ...
Another way to survive at the bottom of the crater, according to the workers is constantly chewing on some cotton cloth.
The descent to the parking lot at the foot of the volcano, where we left their bikes took another 1, 5 hours. After an hour spent in the crater I began to roil. In a small coffee shop that another enterprising conductor held at the entrance to the reserve, we presented ourselves in the feelings for the most expensive coffee in the world Kopi Luwak,. In some London or Singapore Starbucks one cup of this coffee is worth from $ 50 to $ 100. Here, we cost is much cheaper. The coffee is made from Arabica, after the Asian Palm Civet, a small raccoon-shaped animal night climbs on the coffee bush and choose for dinner the best beans on the branch. In a similar ability only Asian Palm Civet, the only wild.
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