Así es el trabajo “más peligroso” del mundo (adentro de un volcán) ⚠️🇮🇩

0:00 These incredibly brave miners work deep inside

0:02 an active volcano that could erupt at any moment.

0:06 Every single day, they are exposed to water

0:08 so acidic it could easily blind them,

0:11 and gases so toxic they could suffocate in seconds,

0:14 only to then walk miles with dozens of heavy kilos balanced on their shoulders.

0:18 Without a doubt, one of the most dangerous jobs that exists on the planet.

0:23 That is a truly and deeply disturbing fact.

0:35 We're on the island of Java, in Indonesia,

0:37 and today we've climbed up to the crater of the Ijen volcano

0:41 to witness firsthand one of the most dangerous jobs in the entire world.

0:45 This incredibly grueling and arduous labor

0:47 consists of extracting sulfur from the volcano

0:49 to sell it by the kilo and subsequently send it to various industrial factories.

0:55 The miners are exposed to highly hazardous and toxic gases and bodies

0:58 of water so acidic that it could even be potentially fatal to any human.

1:02 Being such an extreme and dangerous activity,

1:05 their working life is usually extremely limited and short,

1:08 barely ten to fifteen years at most.

1:10 Most workers suffer from chronic and debilitating respiratory conditions,

1:14 as well as severe wear and tear on their knees and even broken shoulders,

1:18 as they must manually extract dozens of kilos of solid sulfur every single day.

1:23 They do this work completely by hand,

1:25 and then they must walk down a steep path for over three kilometers

1:28 from the very top of the volcano all the way to the base,

1:31 while carefully carrying fifty to seventy kilograms

1:34 of weight in their traditional bamboo baskets.

1:36 In this video, we're going to talk with dedicated

1:39 people who have been doing this job for years, and we'll try to figure out why

1:42 in our modern world today with so much technology, this job still exists.

1:46 Come on, the arduous labor at the Ijen volcano, Indonesia awaits us.

1:50 Let's get started on this now.

1:59 This volcano is often called the yellow hell,

2:02 because of the obvious conditions here and how lethal everything can be.

2:06 It is yellow because that's the color sulfur turns once it solidifies.

2:11 This is what the miners are going to collect so they can sell it later.

2:15 The hardest part is that these people aim

2:18 to earn barely five to fifteen dollars a day.

2:21 since each kilo usually sells for one thousand to one

2:25 thousand five hundred rupiahs depending on the set price,

2:27 so do the math, even if you collect ninety, one hundred kilos in a day,

2:33 the maximum pay you can hope for is maybe about seven dollars,

2:37 And it's not like the individual miners can simply set whatever price they want,

2:41 because a mining company holds a monopoly

2:43 on extracting resources from this crater.

2:45 Consequently, they are the only ones who can buy the material to resell it,

2:49 and therefore, they are the ones who set the price.

2:52 It's not like there's a negotiation, it's not like, oh no,

2:55 there's not much today so I'll sell it to you for more,

2:57 no, no, no, whatever they tell you is what they're going to pay you.

3:00 Aman.

3:01 Friend.

3:01 Safe.

3:02 Friend.

3:02 My friend.

3:03 Taman Kawan means friend.

3:04 So look right here, our buddy has fifty kilos

3:06 here and he makes two or three trips every day,

3:08 and just look at him, he's acting like it's nothing at all,

3:11 man, I mean, it's truly impressive.

3:17 We're already here chatting with the people.

3:19 Obviously, we have a translator guide because I only learned about four words,

3:22 very useful by the way.

3:24 How are you, friend?

3:25 Good, good.

3:25 Good, good.

3:26 Good, good.

3:26 We've already established communication here with some

3:29 miners and they're going to take

3:30 us down to the very heart of the matter to understand it better.

3:32 And look, we're learning something really tough,

3:34 and that is that they don't receive their...

3:37 ...pay day by day, but they don't get their cash until the weekend.

3:40 So they track it like: today you got these kilos,

3:43 tomorrow those, and they keep adding it up;

3:45 until the weekend they see their money.

3:47 And that's if the accounting is honest...

3:49 ...and at the price the company dictates, because I'm telling you,

3:53 it's a monopoly, they have the sole permit to exploit the sulfur.

3:56 Likewise, they're telling us that well,

3:58 all of them are freelancers, they're independent workers.

4:01 So all their uniforms, all their masks and such,

4:04 they have to buy them themselves.

4:06 So many workers can't afford to buy, well, a mask like this, you know,

4:09 to be able to breathe the gases like this one.

4:12 So they just use small wet scarves, small rags,

4:15 and that's how their lungs deteriorate more and more.

4:18 We're going down to explain better how this works.

4:29 Whew, it's really tough in there.

4:31 Wow!

4:32 Whew.

4:32 It's super, super necessary, as well as the goggles.

4:35 Can you hear my breathing?

4:37 Wow!

4:37 I feel my breath is a bit short because

4:39 we were just taking pictures in there and all.

4:41 No, no, and these guys do this for years, years.

4:43 It's very hard, very hard.

4:45 I understand why it's one of the most

4:47 dangerous jobs in the world, if not the most.

4:49 Look, what we're seeing is basically how the volcano releases a lot of gases.

4:53 Obviously, the volcano is extremely hot.

4:55 There's boiling magma and in this magma there are many components.

5:00 Among these components is sulfur,

5:01 which is the bright yellow gold we're collecting.

5:04 The gold of Java, as they call it.

5:08 How does it work?

5:09 It's that the extremely boiling, boiling, boiling gases are violently expelled.

5:12 So the miners properly install...

5:15 ...pipes.

5:16 This is like a metal pipe that deteriorates, in fact, quite quickly.

5:20 We saw there how the piping is already completely worn out.

5:23 So it's very hot, and what the pipe does is that this smoke,

5:28 this vapor, can condense.

5:30 In this way, it remains as an extremely hot liquid,

5:34 which eventually falls to the ground,

5:36 concentrates with the pipes they make, and in this way, it solidifies.

5:40 Once it's all solid, the miners arrive with their picks

5:43 and shovels and extract it completely manually.

5:46 That's how they collect it, and once they have the large pieces,

5:50 they proceed to cut them into smaller pieces to be able to transport them.

5:55 This raw sulfur, they later carry it up in heavy baskets,

5:58 all this long way we just came down, which is honestly very heavy.

6:01 Forty, fifty, sixty, or some maybe even eighty kilos;

6:05 they carry them on their tired backs to later

6:08 weigh it all and get paid for their hard work.

6:10 And this sulfur, why is it so valuable?

6:12 Well, that is because it is used for many, many things.

6:15 The most important thing to note here is sulfuric acid.

6:19 It is used for various medicines, for skin creams,

6:22 for medical ointments, for gunpowder, matches, and even for food products.

6:26 For sugar, for example, it is used in the process to make white sugar.

6:31 To remove the color, that's what it's used for.

6:33 Sulfuric acid is used for many, many things.

6:36 So it's very hard, it's really tough to think that, so

6:40 that we consumers have white sugar and preserved wines at a good price,

6:44 this crew is here risking it all in the mine,

6:47 risking their health, shortening their lives,

6:49 without exaggeration, just as it is.

6:52 Hey, and in case it hasn't been clear,

6:54 we are right now literally standing inside a volcano.

6:57 That's right, we are in the very crater of an active volcano.

7:01 This thing at any moment could erupt, and at any moment it could explode.

7:05 If these miners risk their lives, well, that's it,

7:08 there is just no way to sugarcoat it.

7:11 Each and every day they don't know if they're going

7:13 to make it out alive from here, from this job.

7:16 Now, since the workers are independent, as I was telling you, well,

7:19 the mining companies save a lot of money

7:22 because they don't have to give them health insurance,

7:24 or a pension, or even a salary,

7:26 because they only get paid for what they collect.

7:28 It's not like, oh, they're going to give me

7:30 this much biweekly and I have economic security, so to speak.

7:34 No, no, no, none of that.

7:35 And the most heartbreaking thing, honestly, the saddest and hardest part,

7:39 is that this is no longer a completely necessary industry, okay?

7:43 This way of extracting sulfur has already

7:46 been replaced by a much more massive industrialization.

7:49 To put it in perspective, in this mine they can extract every single day, maybe,

7:54 if many people come to work and are hitting it hard,

7:58 from ten tons to thirty tons in the whole day of this raw sulfur.

8:02 But if we transition to a much more industrialized process,

8:05 with specialized machinery that extract using gases and oil these companies can

8:10 manufacture and produce up to one thousand tons in a single day.

8:14 So it's absolutely incredible that the most modern industries,

8:17 companies, and factories that have machinery, oil, and gases,

8:20 in a matter of minutes—and I'm not exaggerating when I say minutes—produce

8:24 the same sulfur that is produced here all day long with this human labor.

8:29 So that's the hardest part of all,

8:31 that the sulfur industry is of course very important and very necessary,

8:35 but this way of extraction, sadly and as cold and harsh as it sounds,

8:40 is no longer necessary for humanity.

8:43 So, if this work, this labor, is no longer necessary, why?

8:46 Why is it still being done?

8:48 Well, basically due to a lack of opportunities, because there is no other job.

8:52 Nearby, the only additional work that can be found is,

8:56 for example, in crop fields.

8:58 Rice farming and fruit farming are options,

9:00 but they provide much lower wages than this labor.

9:03 So the men, wanting to give their families a much better life,

9:06 come here to willingly risk their very lives, to shorten their working time,

9:10 and to put their physical bodies at risk to be able to earn more money.

9:14 The cruel irony is that by trying to give their families a better life,

9:19 they're actually significantly shortening their own lives.

9:21 And why hasn't a substantial financial investment been

9:25 made to create a more industrialized process here?

9:28 Well, basically because nobody has cared enough.

9:30 Okay, it sounds awful, but it is what it is.

9:33 The thing is, to install machinery, elevators,

9:36 and so on, it would require millions of dollars in investment.

9:39 Something the company doesn't want to pay

9:41 for because ultimately this isn't that profitable.

9:45 It is much more cost-effective to keep paying the workers on a weekly basis,

9:49 around five to seven dollars a day, and in this way they can keep on mining

9:53 the sulfur while the company's monopoly license remains in full effect.

9:57 This sounds terrible, but it's the reality.

10:00 It is significantly more cost-effective for industries to have laborers here

10:04 risking their lives than to install

10:06 machinery or fully industrialize this process.

10:18 We met good old Saman here and good old Olazim,

10:20 who are both telling us all about the job.

10:22 We're learning right away, and oh my god,

10:24 we're starting off really strong, check it out.

10:26 They're letting me try to carry this on my shoulder,

10:29 which is exactly what they do, well, on a daily basis, so let's see.

10:32 This thing here, how much does it actually weigh?

10:34 Oh man, no way.

10:35 Wow!

10:36 This is incredibly heavy, no kidding, this weighs about seventy kilos.

10:40 Oh!

10:41 Holy cow, man!

10:42 Holy cow!

10:43 Wow!

10:43 This is absolutely unbelievable!

10:45 Holy cow!

10:46 Holy cow!

10:46 Holy cow!

10:47 No, no way, this is really tough.

10:49 Wow!

10:50 Honestly, it's extremely heavy.

10:52 Truly admirable, and I'm telling you all this, look,

10:56 just climbing the volcano to get here was hard enough for us, okay?

10:59 It really took a lot out of us, and these guys do it while carrying this, that's

11:04 why I say they often have broken shoulders.

11:06 Look at how his shoulder is so, so worn down.

11:09 No, seriously, wow!

11:11 This is just really, really hard.

11:13 They're telling us they usually work ten to twelve hours a day.

11:16 They start very early in the morning and leave around one

11:20 in the afternoon so they don't get hit by the sun when it's strongest.

11:23 And while many dedicated workers come here every single day,

11:26 they tell me that since they've been doing this for several years now,

11:29 they only come about three times a week.

11:32 But back when they were much younger,

11:33 they would consistently do it like six full days every week.

11:36 Man, that's really tough.

11:37 Terima kasih, huh.

11:38 Terima kasih, terima kasih.

11:40 Terima kasih.

11:41 Of course, to all these people who are letting us film and everything,

11:44 we're giving them good tips.

11:46 And yeah, look, this, what we're seeing here is what they risk their lives for.

11:50 This is what's called the devil's yellow gold.

11:53 What our friend here is doing is really catching my attention.

11:56 Look, he's picking up small pieces.

11:58 Of sulfur that he finds, look, because it's everywhere, okay?

12:02 So since this one here just came out, it's boiling hot,

12:06 he puts those there so they all melt together,

12:08 and then later he'll have a larger piece and be able to take out heavier chunks.

12:13 Man, I'm glad we brought these big goggles and the mask because, holy cow!

12:18 If you take it off, your eyes start stinging right away,

12:21 and your throat starts stinging too, you cough a lot.

12:24 A shout-out to my buddy I met in Texas who gave me these goggles.

12:28 A guy I met at a bar, and the brother was just getting off work and he told me,

12:32 Luisito, I want to give you my goggles, they'll come in handy one day.

12:35 And today they're helping me out a lot,

12:37 so if you're watching this video, brother, thank you, my friend.

12:39 Good old Eddie here has been our contact,

12:42 the big boss, he's the supervisor of this entire area.

12:45 You, how many years work here?

12:47 Thirteen long years.

12:48 Thirteen years?

12:49 Oh wow, that is a very long time, wouldn't you say?

12:52 Yeah, it has been quite a long time.

12:53 And um, for most people, how many years maximum work?

12:56 The number is forty-five.

12:58 Forty-five?

12:58 Oh wow.

12:59 Look, there are people who work here for up to forty-five years.

13:01 I thought they were much, well not shifts,

13:03 much shorter working lives because of how risky it is, but holy cow.

13:07 I have worked here for the past eleven years

13:09 and the actual physical risks of working here range

13:12 from breathing the air to the strain on our muscles

13:15 we have to have a lot of endurance and strength.

13:17 One must exercise extreme caution to avoid

13:19 the inherent dangers of the environment.

13:21 Until just a few years ago,

13:24 somewhere between three hundred and four hundred different

13:27 miners used to work here on a daily basis,

13:29 but it has been widely reported that in recent times,

13:32 maybe only forty or fifty actually come to work each day.

13:35 The primary reason behind this shift is that the miners have realized

13:39 that they can earn much more money in the local tourism industry.

13:42 And this brings with it a very tough, very complicated,

13:46 and very interesting conflict of interest

13:48 that is currently unfolding right here.

13:50 You see, this volcano is quite touristy because it's one of the few places

13:55 in the entire world where you can see the fascinating phenomenon of blue fire.

13:59 Tourists come in the very early hours of the morning

14:02 to be able to see the crater illuminated with surreal blue colors.

14:06 There are few volcanoes in the world where this can be appreciated so vividly,

14:10 and it is quite possible that this is the only one of its kind.

14:14 This phenomenon is basically caused when the sulfur coming

14:18 out of the volcano hits the oxygen that's outside.

14:21 It creates a kind of combustion.

14:23 So the sulfur is vital for us to be able to have this spectacle.

14:28 When the mining company realized that many

14:29 of its miners were now dedicating themselves to tourism,

14:33 whether it was guiding groups of tourists,

14:35 whether transporting visitors in traditional carts,

14:38 or even selling handcrafted souvenirs,

14:40 they decided to play their cards against this trend

14:44 and flat out shut down the entire show.

14:46 because while the blue fire is a natural phenomenon,

14:50 for it to be seen with this intensity,

14:52 the pipes that the mining company has installed are needed,

14:55 And since they have paid for very expensive concessions so that for more than

15:00 thirty years they are the only ones who can exploit the sulfur in the crater,

15:05 they basically control the whole area; so if they wish,

15:08 they can make the sulfur go somewhere else,

15:11 and they can make it disperse however they see fit.

15:14 they can make the concentration drop, they can send it back there,

15:17 and because of that, the people we've met here tell me,

15:20 to date they've had three months of protest, that there's no blue fire,

15:24 unless you contact a special tourism agency that pays them

15:27 and they flat out set up the show for you,

15:30 they release the sulfur where it should be

15:32 and that way you can see the blue fire.

15:33 They tell me that some guides also, looking for a strategy,

15:36 what they do is they take gasoline and spread it.

15:39 and they trick tourists like, oh look, the blue fire,

15:42 but it's actually gasoline that they've put there themselves.

15:45 Why?

15:45 Because the mining company basically has this sulfur held hostage.

15:49 They have the monopoly; only they are allowed to exploit it.

15:53 So if they don't want there to be a show, there won't be one.

15:55 So it's definitely a very complicated situation.

15:59 The mining company paid a lot of money

16:01 to the government to have access to the sulfur,

16:04 but this industry has become somewhat obsolete.

16:07 It's attracting tourism, and they're not seeing royalties from this tourism,

16:12 so they want their piece of the pie.

16:14 Honestly, man, this world is driven by money, it's pure economic interest,

16:18 and right in the middle are the workers

16:20 with the constant uncertainty of, should I get

16:23 another job or should I deteriorate my own body just to earn a bit more money?

16:28 Eddy is telling me that inside this tube here,

16:31 it's approximately two hundred and fifty degrees Celsius.

16:33 It's boiling; it's extremely hot.

16:37 Oh man, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's really, really incredibly hot, wow.

16:40 And yes, look right over there,

16:41 we can clearly see how the liquid is boiling and bubbling away.

16:45 Touching that would be super toxic.

16:46 Honestly, oh, how do I describe it to you?

16:48 When the large fumaroles come like that, it burns you,

16:51 like you breathe and you have to cough right away.

16:54 Just look at the amount of smoke you can see there.

16:57 Wow, and look at that, right where the pipe is, you can see the blue fire.

17:01 Oh, I don't know if the camera can catch it, but look, that's the blue fire.

17:04 Wow, how crazy.

17:16 And as if it weren't already enough that these workers

17:18 have to deal with these extremely toxic fumes,

17:21 the water also has acid levels that are considered to be extremely dangerous.

17:26 This lagoon we're seeing here in the crater,

17:28 with its very paradisiacal blue color,

17:31 is practically like a giant vat of diluted liquid battery acid.

17:36 To put it into a better perspective,

17:38 the fresh water that we humans usually drink

17:41 has a neutral pH level of approximately seven.

17:44 Lemon juice, which is very acidic, usually has a pH of two.

17:48 The water we're seeing here currently has a pH level that is close to zero.

17:53 It's very, very acidic, very dangerous.

17:56 If this water gets into your mouth, for example,

17:59 a tooth could actually fall out, no exaggeration.

18:01 This water can dissolve heavy metals; it can even dissolve plastics.

18:06 Here Eddy is giving us a demonstration of how this pipe that's right here,

18:10 just look at this, Just check out

18:12 how incredibly easily that fragile pipe breaks.

18:15 So if someone were to accidentally fall into these waters and, for example,

18:18 you opened your eyes, you'd most likely go blind, you'd start to get burned,

18:22 your skin would start to get very irritated.

18:24 That's why they need to be very, very careful.

18:26 But look at how Eddy grabs it like that with his hand,

18:29 look at that, look at that, it breaks.

18:31 Oh, this is, well, it's metal.

18:33 Just like delicious cookies.

18:34 Just like delicious cookies.

18:36 Like cookies, yeah.

18:37 Exactly, like a little cookie here, exactly.

18:39 Yeah.

18:39 To give us an idea, if this is what the water does to metal,

18:42 what can it do to your body, your eyes, your lungs, your stomach, your teeth?

18:48 It's clear why this is indeed one of the most truly dangerous jobs in the world.

18:52 There's risk, there's danger at every turn.

18:55 This one here, this is not toxic?

18:57 Not toxic.

18:58 It's not acid.

18:59 It's not acidic at all.

19:00 So this water here isn't acidic, it's not toxic; it is just a bit of warm water.

19:04 But that one over there is actually very acidic.

19:07 Oh, when everything gets all white like

19:09 this, that is exactly when it hurts the most.

19:11 Honestly, your eyes really hurt like crazy.

19:14 And all because of this thing here,

19:15 they call it the yellow gold of Java, the gold from hell.

19:19 It's really tough that this is one of the only job options.

19:22 It's good they've realized they can earn more from tourism.

19:25 And hopefully they can quickly balance the situation

19:28 between mining and tourism so this can end, really.

19:31 Because yeah, it's just...

19:33 Terrible, just terrible.

19:34 The workers are showing me around here.

19:36 They say this is their five-star hotel.

19:38 That's what they call it as a joke, yeah.

19:40 This is where they rest, check it out.

19:42 We've already made some friends here.

19:45 Hello!

19:45 Hello there.

19:45 Hello.

19:47 So, look, my brothers here are basically just really tired.

19:50 So they come here to rest, look.

19:52 They come to have a cigarette, right?

19:53 They're here smoking for a bit and then they take a little nap.

19:56 So they rest for a while and then they get back to work.

20:00 Look, they told me to get a shot of them smoking here.

20:03 And my brothers here are always smoking; you even see them working hard,

20:07 carrying those incredibly heavy baskets, and they're just smoking away.

20:10 It's just great.

20:12 Smoking's good.

20:13 Great.

20:13 Good, smoking's good.

20:15 Smoking's good, smoking's good.

20:17 Once the sulfur has been collected, it's packed into large sacks,

20:20 and then these men take on the job

20:22 of transporting them down to the foothills in carts,

20:25 where the sulfur will be weighed and recorded,

20:27 and they'll count exactly how much each person has collected,

20:31 and that's how their earnings are calculated so they

20:33 can get paid at the end of the week.

20:36 And look, going down is clearly a bit less complicated than going up,

20:39 but still, they're carrying over one hundred kilos here,

20:42 so it's tough, it's really tough.

20:44 A great many of the local people who used to work

20:46 in the mines now transport visiting tourists to the top,

20:50 as it provides a much higher income for them;

20:53 for those with mobility issues or the elderly,

20:56 this service is exceptionally useful.

20:59 So we are going to do a little demonstration for this video,

21:02 please don't attack me in the comments,

21:04 we're obviously paying these workers and everything,

21:07 so take a look at how it all works;

21:09 you sit like this, and then basically three people pull you.

21:12 One.

21:13 Two.

21:13 Three.

21:15 And that's how they get you up.

21:17 For the trip up they charge about one million,

21:19 which is approximately fifty US dollars.

21:23 And for the round trip it's one and a half million,

21:26 about seventy-five dollars approximately.

21:28 And in this way, they make much more money;

21:30 they earn a much larger profit than they could by working in the mine.

21:34 Now, many people criticize this service, and with very good reason,

21:39 because they often say it's like a...

21:42 Modern slavery, let's call it that, right?

21:45 Like you're paying someone to carry you

21:46 and all that, I honestly completely understand that narrative,

21:49 but if we put the situation into perspective...

21:51 well, this is a job that's actually much less tiring,

21:57 much less risky than working in the mines, and they can be earning more money.

22:00 And lacking other sources of work, besides the farming fields and mining, well,

22:05 this turns out to be a more convenient option for them, given the reality.

22:10 These two super friendly men worked for over twenty

22:12 years in the mine and then they realized like,

22:14 no, well, here I can earn up to five, ten times more than there.

22:18 What he does tell me is...

22:20 that his knees, right?

22:22 And yeah, look here, see.

22:23 Check out how our friend has his shoulder, well, broken.

22:25 Because for many years he carried extremely heavy loads.

22:29 So, well, it breaks.

22:30 In the same way, he tells us he has knee problems because of that.

22:35 That he has lung problems, breathing problems.

22:37 Honestly, it's really tough.

22:38 I mean, we're seeing it.

22:39 These are the results of working for so long.

22:43 So, I think if you put the work into perspective, well, wow.

22:47 given the circumstances and the possibilities, well,

22:49 this is a more dignified job and without a doubt much, much less risky.

22:53 Oof, and super admirable, it really gets very steep in certain sections.

22:57 Honestly, it is incredibly tough,

22:59 both obviously for the people who work transporting visitors,

23:03 and especially for those who go down with all that heavy sulfur on their backs.

23:07 Man, this whole path, imagine carrying sixty kilos on your back like that.

23:11 That's why they end up like this with broken shoulders.

23:14 No, no, it's really tough, really tough.

23:16 Wow!

23:17 And his fitness is impressive.

23:18 Check out my bro here with his cigarette going up, like it's nothing.

23:21 No, I'm already, like seriously, struggling here, you know?

23:23 I mean, I'm totally wiped out.

23:25 And this bro with his cigarette and everything, a champion.

23:28 He's in really heavy-duty shape.

23:30 Having to start work so early,

23:32 most of the miners will start at four in the morning.

23:35 Many choose to, simply, stay and sleep here.

23:38 Check it out, this is a lodging that's owned by the mining company.

23:41 And this one's free, okay?

23:43 This one, yeah, if you're working with the mine and all,

23:46 they don't charge you anything.

23:47 So many, instead of having to go all the way home

23:50 and then come back the next day and sleep very little,

23:53 it's very tiring, they'd rather choose to stay and sleep

23:55 here all week and only go home for one day.

23:57 Then they come back and this way they make better use of their time and energy.

24:01 We have a little campfire here, right?

24:04 Where they can boil water, have a little coffee, whatever.

24:07 And right over here is where the sleeping beds are.

24:10 Take a good look at what we have right here.

24:11 They are built like small and functional individual

24:14 cubicles with pretty simple mats that slowly rotate.

24:17 And also, over here,

24:18 they have a convenient spot where they can clean themselves up,

24:21 go to the bathroom whenever they need to, and so on.

24:24 During the nighttime hours it gets somewhat cold,

24:27 that's why they keep these warm campfires burning and well yeah,

24:30 basically they make their entire lives here.

24:32 So while some people can return to their own homes and well

24:35 be with their families and all and sit down to eat with them,

24:38 Others, because of the distance or high cost, choose to stay here.

24:41 Life becomes a cycle: going to the mine, then drinking, smoking, and chatting.

24:46 That's how they get by and survive.

24:48 I was told there used to be more of these places,

24:51 but now with fewer workers, only this one remains.

24:54 Maybe fifteen live here permanently, and they rotate,

24:57 sometimes twenty during peak season, and that's how they keep rotating.

25:10 We're learning about another way these miners earn some additional income.

25:14 And look, they make souvenirs out of sulfur, they put them in molds,

25:18 and they come out with these really interesting figures.

25:21 Look, here we have a Buddha,

25:23 they also make a little turtle, and they make a cat.

25:25 And they sell each of these to tourists for fifty thousand.

25:29 Three dollars, two and a half dollars.

25:31 So in this way, it's like, okay, I sell the sulfur to the mines and all that.

25:34 But since there's a lot of tourism, I make some money off it.

25:38 Man, they are...

25:38 Really smart people, huh.

25:40 Very smart, very smart, smart.

25:41 Of course we're going to buy some of these souvenirs,

25:43 I mean, it's great and how resourceful, what resourceful people, right?

25:47 Well, they say, a lot of tourists come here, so let's sell them these things.

25:50 I love people like that, always pushing forward, good, good, good.

25:53 They're teaching me a word here, Javanese,

25:54 from the island of Java, which is mongo, mongo.

25:57 Mongo.

25:57 Mongo.

25:58 Mongo.

25:58 Mongo.

25:59 Mongo.

26:00 Mongo.

26:01 Bye, mongo.

26:02 Bye, mongo.

26:02 I appreciate it, mongo.

26:04 Hey, yeah.

26:04 Good luck, friend, good luck.

26:05 Bye.

26:06 No, and did you see, I mean, I think that's the most, uh...

26:09 Well, special, I mean, and that...

26:11 Man, you feel really bad that...

26:12 These are people who work really hard, they face very harsh realities...

26:16 And yet here they are joking and smiling and making jokes and laughing and...

26:20 And that attitude makes their jobs feel much less heavy.

26:24 No, honestly, wow, what truly resilient people, they are just so admirable.

26:37 Well, there you have it, a glimpse into the harsh and demanding reality

26:40 of the miners at the Ijen volcano in Indonesia.

26:43 Without a doubt, this was a very difficult and complex

26:47 report for us to produce, so I want to thank,

26:50 first of all, the brave miners who welcomed us so warmly,

26:53 always so smiling and positive,

26:55 despite their truly difficult and grueling circumstances.

26:58 Thanks to the good...

26:59 Tegu, our fixer, and to the good Eddy,

27:02 who helped us get close to all the workers.

27:05 To Ari, to Kamari, who works incredibly hard behind the camera.

27:09 And of course, also to all of you for joining us on another adventure.

27:13 We'll see you as always, you know it, in a few days with a new video.

27:16 Goodbye.

27:17 Bye.