People climbing Mt. Batur typically do it as a sunrise
hike. So, after going to bed the
previous night at about 9:00, I woke up at 1:30am to wait for a driver to pick
me up at the hotel. We picked up
three guys (one Slovakian, two British but living in Australia) staying at
other hotels in Ubud, and were on our way to the volcano by around 2:30. We drove for about an hour through the
countryside before stopping for a breakfast of coffee (which, fortunately, was
very strong) and banana pancakes.
A few minutes’ drive from there and we reached the bottom of the trail,
starting the hike around 4:00. It
was really amazing to be hiking in the dark under the moon and stars, though of
course it’s somewhat difficult to hike when you can’t really see where you’re
going. We used flashlights, but
they didn’t always provide enough light to really tell where the trail was –
all part of the adventure! The
hike was a bit more difficult than I was expecting, mainly because our guide
was going faster than I would have preferred, which I’ve heard a lot of people
who’ve done the hike complain about.
With the rate we were going, it only took about two hours to reach the
top, and we got there just before 6:00, at which point it was still dark. The view from the top was beautiful,
though unfortunately I don’t think my pictures really did it justice. The viewpoint on the top looked out
over a lake and across to another volcano, Mt. Agung – it was a great backdrop to watch
the sunrise and the gradual transition from darkness to daylight. Seeing the beginning of a new day from
the top of a volcano was very invigorating, and the gorgeous scenery of Bali’s
interior made it even better. Some
time after the sunrise, and a breakfast (lunch?) of banana sandwiches and
hard-boiled eggs, we headed down the mountain and drove back to Ubud – in time
to continue the day with everyone else.
A few days later, I had the opportunity to go back to the
volcanoes for a bike tour, which offered a different perspective on the same
beautiful area. After driving out
of Ubud, we started the day with a breakfast of fruit, tea, coffee, and banana
and chocolate pancakes – and a great view overlooking the volcanoes and the
lake. Our group – made up of
travelers from all over, including a British girl living in New Zealand, three
Germans teaching English in Thailand, and a Chilean couple on their honeymoon –
had a fantastic and hilarious guide who explained more about Bali and Balinese
culture in that day that I had learned in the previous week here. During the bike ride, we stopped at a
coffee farm, a family compound, a village “square,” and a rice paddy. For me, seeing the compound and
learning more about Balinese family structures and daily life was the highlight
of the trip. The ride had a few
challenging moments, but was mostly downhill and very easy, as we had driven up
into the mountains and then biked back down towards town. Biking on small backroads in the
interior of the island offered a chance to see much more rural and less
touristy parts of Bali than I would have been able to see otherwise. It really enhanced my experience here
and gave me much more perspective on local realities. After ending the tour at an amazing buffet, which included
delicious tempeh
and chicken satay (skewers of chicken served with peanut sauce), we headed
back into Ubud, slightly sore but with a much better understanding of Bali.
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