The June 9th 2004 was a wonderful day. It was silent, sunny and Gunung Bromo in the Tengger caldera was calm. Now I know that the 9th was the day Bromo prepared another eruption after the one a day before which killed two visitors. On the 10th the volcano sent another dense plume into the atmosphere.
Activity Report (Smithsonian)
When I entered the caldera not much people were around me. Only a few farmers were mowing some grass on the caldera slopes with their sickles.

The vegetation was dense. The dormant volcanoes were covered with grass. But still the geological shaping of the caldera interior was visible.

The street leading to the bottom was not in a good condition. But with 4-wheel-drives or motorcycles using it was no problem. Luckily there was not much traffic this day.

Sometimes I was remembered to the novel Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Why? Because of the caldera floor covered only with grass. It looked like a gigantic sea of grass. A really beautiful view.

In the centre of the caldera the childs of Tengger were reaching for the sky.

A farmer couple on its way to find a good place for mowing grass. Farming in Indonesia looked mostly archaic to me. People worked on small fields, had only a small number of animals and used motorcycles instead of tractors. Around the Bromo caldera earth is fertile (deep black earth) but the slopes are steep. Maybe Swiss-made tractors can handle it but for sure the farmers can't even dream about them. They use the sickle and if the don't have a motorcycle they walk all the way till the grass sea to get the food for their animals.

The rim of the caldera was sometimes quit steep.

The grass sea short before the sand sea began.

Gunung Bromo sent his first wishes.

Because of the fatal eruption a day before the officials were on high alert. Here a rescue team was on a patrol.