Why you should avoid Bromo Why you should avoid Bromo and Probolinggo. About 8 years ago I visited Bromo and Probolinggo and fell in love. It epitomised for me the rugged, natural beauty that volcanoes purveyed and seemed to be unrivalled. It was a masterpiece, an artists final work of art, one which when complete, would remain the pastel of his judgement. Over the years Probolinggo has gained a reputation amongst backpackers and travellers as being a Javanese hotbed of scams and misery. Aptly referred to as ‘Scambolinggo’ by those that have had the recent unfortunate of passing through. And that is all most tourists do, they hop off the train and straight onto a tour of one of Java’s highlights, and then leave. Beyond Bromo the city has absolutely nothing of note, and any non-Muslims may be surprised to be woken multiple times during the night by the call…