Last night ended with this conversation with Danny...
Me: I suppose it’s probably a 1:30am wake up.
Danny: yeh transport is at 2am
It seemed like a great idea at the time. Not such a great idea at 2am this morning when we were sat outside the hostel waiting for our transport. The plan was a 1.5hour drive to the bottom of mount Batur which we would then climb in about 2 hours reaching the top for sunrise. Mount Batur is an active volcano with an elevation of 1717m. The last eruption was in 2000, the destruction of which is still visible. I had heard many things about this hike and I was really doubting myself. After the hiking in Taman Negara which pushed me to my physical and mental limits i was seriously doubting my ability to do this. I had also been suffering in Singapore with a bit of pain in my left knee (purely from overuse and walking too much). I was petrified I wasn’t going to make it.
The car picked us up on time and the journey was fine but incredibly bumpy so no sleep but we felt rather awake as we reached the start point. It was pretty hazardous at points as the gravel ground slipped beneath our feet. Also bearing in mind that it is pitch black and the only light is from our torches. We also had no idea how far up we were as we could not see the top. There were 6 of us including the guide and we reached the top in the two hours that we had hoped. We sat down and ate some breakfast whilst we waited. What I was not expecting was how bitterly cold and windy it would be. We were all freezing and ended up hiring some blankets to try and keep warm! As the wind blew the gravel and dust hit our faces going in our eyes. But as soon as the sun began to rise it was completely worthwhile. The views over the lake below as the sun created up shining light onto the distant Mount Agung was stunning.
After the initial sunrise we did some exploring and saw the craters below as well as the hot steam which was making its way out of the rock surface. I’m not going to lie the top was pretty scary, no rails or safety features to stop you falling to your most probable death. I just stayed away from the edge and admired the beautiful green view.
The way back down was another two hours of the same steep slippery gravel. It was actually a pretty enjoyable hike. It was enough of a challenge to get the muscles working but not enough to make me want to cry or give up. I actually really enjoyed it. Yet again I’m kicking myself for all the panic and doubting myself. It really wasn’t necessary and it’s still a habit I need to get out of. But hey! It’s a work in progress!
After this we were pretty knackered so we had breakfast number two back at the hostel. The hike may not have been too difficult but by this point we had been awake 10 hours. Now it’s strange because waking up at 2am really throws your body out of whack. Even when 12pm hit it felt like it should be at least 8. It’s a strange feeling.
After a couple of hours resting by the pool listening to some music and reading a book we decided to make the most of the beautiful day and to explore some of Ubud town centre as well as go the sacred monkey forrest. Now I had received loads of recommendations to go here and it did not disappoint. It was awesome!! There are over 1059 monkeys in the forest and they are free to roam as much as they want. They are fed by the Forrest owners and are given medical care when required but apart from that they do their own thing, swinging from trees and playing in the water.
Today is a perfect example of why I came travelling. This is the sort of thing I would have never got to see if I had not come here and I have loved it.
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