ON APRIL 15, I journeyed to where the world once witnessed a big bang. It all began 24 years ago with a story in The Straits Times on Aug 26, 1983, titled The Biggest Bang In The World.

INTREPID TRAVELLER: Writer Andy Gwee on the slopes of the volcano. PHOTO: ANDY GWEE FOR ST

It featured the eruption of a volcano a hundred years earlier in the Sunda Strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. The resulting destruction was one of the greatest recorded in history.

I kept that story in a file, and over the years, this grew, with more newspaper and magazine reports. I also bought a book, Krakatoa - The Day The World Exploded August 27, 1883, a bestseller by Simon Winchester.

Prior to the incident which blew up the island into pieces, Krakatau was a big island with a mountain rising about 800m in the middle of the sea.

After the explosion, Krakatau was split into three islands - Rakata, Sertung and Panjang, with a huge expanse of water in the middle. It remained so for over 40 years, until June 29, 1927, when Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatau) emerged from the sea.

This event, graphically described in Winchester's book, was accompanied with great rumbling noises, enormous exploding gas bubbles and spraying clouds of ash and foul-smelling sulphur gas.

The black piece of land, which broke the surface, grew into an island 152m long and 3m high over the next few days. This island, named Anak Krakatau, has been growing steadily, at an average rate of 12cm a week since. Today, it stands at about 500m.

Though it is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, often rumbling loudly, emitting gaseous fumes and spewing lava bombs and flows, most people do not know where it is.

However, the recent undersea volcanic eruption off north Sumatra on Dec 26, 2004, and the tsunami that followed, have rekindled memories of the destruction volcanoes can cause.

Though dwarfed by virtually all other volcanoes in Indonesia, Anak Krakatau has its parent's infamous reputation and that has put it under close scrutiny.

I learnt from travel guides that it could be visited via Carita, Labuhan and Anyer in west Java, with Carita being the most popular option.

However, would-be travellers are also warned to make sure that the boats taking them there are sturdy enough for the trip, due to many reports of capsized boats and unpredictable currents.

I also learnt that there is an alternative, safer passage via south Sumatra. Unlike a journey from Java, where it is open sea all the way to Krakatau, there are two big islands, Pulau Sebuku and Pulau Sebesi, between the coast of south Sumatra and Krakatau.

If a boat capsizes, at the very least, there are two islands survivors can swim to.

NEW GROWTH: Vegetation has begun to return to the lava slopes of Anak Krakatau. PHOTO: CORBIS

I finally visited Krakatau on April 15 via Sumatra, albeit with some difficulty, not due to rough seas or unreliable boats, but because nobody seems to go to Krakatau from Sumatra anymore.

I flew to Palembang from Singapore and took a 10-hour bus ride south to the town of Bandar Lampung, where I visited two tour agencies which reportedly specialised in trips to Krakatau.

But one had closed down and the other no longer organised such trips. I visited the local tourist office in Jalan Sudirman and was lucky to meet a very enthusiastic officer.

After hours of planning and phone calls, he succeeded in getting the head of the tourist office in Kalianda, a town near the coast, to assist me. I was given directions to the home of Mr Erlan Murdiantono.

There, someone drove us to Canti, a little jetty along the coast. Four of us then set off in a motorised boat not directly to Anak Krakatau, but to Pulau Sebesi, an island one hour from Canti to spend the night in a simple losman (chalet).

Early the next morning, we set off for the two-hour journey to Krakatau.The four islands of Krakatau - Rakata, Sertung, Panjang and Anak Krakatau - gradually loomed larger as we approached.

The boat could not take us right onto the shore of Anak Krakatau but floated as close to it as possible. We jumped into waist-deep water and waded to shore onto black volcanic sand.

Just past the shore were signboards with details on Anak Krakatau, such as its flora and fauna, and the 1883 eruption. Just beyond is a mini-forest, with trees and shrubs on lower ground, but bare soil and loose sand a little higher up, a result of Anak Krakatau being active and still growing.

After a short trek through the forested area, we emerged into the open. There were wooden poles stuck in the ground with arrows providing directions for people to climb to the crater.

Rocks of various sizes were scattered all over the slopes. I was told that they were lava bombs - hot, sulphurous rocks that ranged in size from a little pebble to one as large as a car, which often spewed from the crater.

We were fortunate none of the bombs rained on us that day. Anak Krakatau was 'sleeping', we were told, which explained why the sea had been very calm during our earlier journey.

The sun was bright and merciless as we ascended the steep slope, consisting entirely of soft, volcanic sand, which caused us to slide back at every step, a tiring affair of two steps forward and one step back.

It was also this soft, volcanic sand that prevented us from reaching the summit to have a look inside the crater, for the ground towards the top was very soft and unstable.

If a person were to climb further, he could sink in. If he was lucky, he would land on a ledge. Even then, as it's impossible to climb back out, he would need a helicopter rescue team to winch him out. Of course, there is also a high chance that he would plunge right into the crater.

I had to be satisfied with climbing only to the mid-point and taking many photographs.

After we had returned to the mainland, I was taken by Mr Erlan to other places of interest in Kalianda, including a hot spring at Way Belerang and Kalianda Resort.

The latter is a beach resort with a jetty within its compound which serves as another, more direct route to Krakatau, one which not many people know about.

Staff at the resort can also help in arranging the boat ride to Krakatau.

And you can count on the reliable Mr Erlan for help at his tourist office, or, as he reminds me, even at his home.

The writer is a clerical officer with a passion for solo travelling.