Archives for "Bali"


Continuation from:-
Rough Journey
The Sun and the Sea
Tanah Lot
Pura Taman Ayun
Pura Ulun Danu

5th April 2010
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Remember the really expensive bag of potato chips we bought in a store at Tanah Lot? Well, it saved our lives… at least we didn’t die of starvation that night. LOL.

It all started when i was feeling a little hungry when we were done at Tanah Lot. Even though the things they were selling at the store on the complex were rather expensive, i had to get an ice cream and a bag of chips.

Relish the Cornetto i did but for some reason we decided not to touch the chips (which turned out to be a blessing).

Fruits Market

After the last of the temple tour, we headed down from the highlands. Yande brought us to the fruits market hoping we would squander the little rupiahs we’ve got left to serve the greater good of Balinese agricultural industry.

I’m just kidding; he just thought we might like to buy some fresh produce from the market.

The market was rather big but there weren’t many stalls around. It doesn’t matter which stall we visit actually because everyone was either selling local fruits or the same kind of sweet potato snacks.

On courtesy, we bought a bunch of bananas and 2 packs of sweet potato snacks

Sweet Potato Snacks

Yande was a darling to drop us of at the Bali T House where we were to stay in Ubud. The place was remotely in a local village, it was really difficult to locate. When we did arrive it was rather late already.

The Klod Houses were very quaint and the layout of the houses gives each lodger their own space. It’s like having a small little house on a plot of land within a community. Each house has a unique name and is actually owned by different landlords who rent it out to tourist. Our stay was the Jasmine House.

We were greeted warmly and were introduced to the house keeper and the drivers for hire at the entrance. The drivers offered us a ride to town which we politely declined because we just got there. Little did we know that everyone here including the drivers gets off work at 5pm sharp… which left us stranded in the village with no means of transport!

That’s where the bag of chips, bananas and sweet potato snacks comes in the picture.

Our “gourmet” dinner for the night wash down by bottled water.

6th April 2010
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We woke up right before dawn. Well, that’s untrue; we actually woke up at 2am.

It was all in the pre-planned schedule. We would wake up at 2am, leave Jasmine House at 2.45am towards Kintamani, reach the foothill of Mount Batur before 4am, hike up Mount Batur and reach the top in time for the sunrise.

Yeah right can’t take a photo so save his life LOL

It was pitch black that we had to use torch lights to maneuver out of to the entrance of the Klod House where Yande was already waiting impatiently.

We stank of lemon grass from putting too much mosquito repellent. I hope Yande didn’t mind it too much.

We drove the stretch of narrow road before stopping at the 24-hour convenient store for bread. It will be till noon before we will have a chance for a proper meal.

Dawn

Surprisingly we reached the base in no time; in less than an hour.

It was the base for the Mount Batur hiking association of some kind where we were greeted by the appointed guide for our hike. Everyone wishing to hike up the volcano must go through them.

I’m not sure how much it actually cost for the guide because we took the package from Yande. For Rp300,000 per person we get the ride to and from our hotel, trekking guide and breakfast.

Before the sunrise

Our trekking guide, Made gave us a short briefing about the safety and stressed on the importance of not wondering off on our own; the death incident at Mount Batur just few days before this obviously in mind. Then he gave us a short pep talk in case we had cold feet. How thoughtful :S

I liked him. He was not bad looking, speaks good English and with a great sense of humor. He wasn’t a big man. He was about my height not too broad and not overly muscular. He has a great set of muscular legs. That, i am sure off for the grace that he rush up the volcano makes it look so effortless.

He was smitten by my sister which i find both alarming and amusing. But that has its perks because then i was sure he will definitely look out for us. Haha.

Waiting with Sprite

Along our journey a guy carrying a backpack full of carbonated drinks tagged along with us. I call him the Coke guy.

He was a middle sized, quiet chap with little grasp in the English language so he just nodded and smiled whenever we talked to him showing that he understands.

How the heck does he do it, lugging a heavy backpack up the volcano with no guarantees that the hikers would buy from him.

But i can tell you, he is my life saver. Without him a couldn’t have made to the top.

I digress, did you know that there is a naming system for local Balinese. For example, the first son of the family will be named Wayan followed by his first name. The second son, Made, third son, Nyoman and the forth Ketut. If there is a 5th son then it’s back to square one which is Wayan again. That means Yande is the eldest son in his family and Made the second in his.

Resting platform

The journey was not so bad given that we couldn’t see anything except for the spot where the beam from the torch light touched. We passed by plantations where Made drone on about what kind of vegetables that were grown at the foothill of the volcano. We played “guess what vegetable there are?” game the whole way.

There weren’t any mosquito either which was a huge relief.

Apart from the rough and rocky ground it was a breeze. I thought to myself, “this is easy peasy!”. I smirked and sniggered whenever the sis slipped on pebbles and rocks.

Balinese really take religion seriously. Everywhere there are temples and shrines. Even whilst we were trekking up Mount Batur, we came across a small shrine beside the path. We paused for a while so that Made and the Coke guy could pray.

Sunrise

Then we came difficult part, where the landscape became steeper. First, it was just my thighs feeling really tired. The higher we went the more tired my legs were. I’ve always have problems with my legs but what was troubling me more was the difficulty of getting air into my lungs. I was burning up.

I blame it on the other trekking groups that practically ran past us with cocky smiles plastered on their face. I have this psychological problem where i cannot withstand stress. Whenever stress overwhelms me (which is very easy by the way) i have a tendency to go into panic mode, break into sweats and my breathing rhythm goes haywire. That’s what was what was happening.

Us against the sunrise

I gave up a few times, each time i just wanted to throw in the towel. It’s not that i can’t go on and it’s not a difficult hike anyways. I can, very slowly given my lack of stamina but it was depressing that i was slowing the group down. I didn’t want them to miss the sunrise.

But fortunately our group was a great support and motivation. Made’s pep talk no matter how cliché it sounded made me want to continue.

Each time i asked him “How much further we have to go?”, he would reply with a laugh “only 5 more minutes!”.

Each time i had difficulty climbing up, the Coke guy will offer his hand.

With Made cheering on and taking care of my sis, the Coke guy pulling me up and the boyfriend behind me watching my back, we made it to the resting platform!

Sis and i

And it was all worth it )

The resting hut was rather crowded by the time we got there so Made took us down to a more secluded spot to wait for the sunrise.

You cannot imagine the feeling of exhaustion after a strenuous hike washed over by the relief and satisfaction of being able to stand there at the rim looking down at the magnificent view below. Even in the twilight, it was so beautiful. The cold breeze felt so good on the skin. It was like being on top of the world.

We squatted down, paid Rp75,000 for 3 bottles of Sprites and waited in awe.

The anticipation killing me!

Sis the poser

Alas, we didn’t actually get to see the sun rise from the horizon. The weather didn’t looked good. Sad.

We didn’t think we’ll get the chance to see the orange sun at all since it was so cloudy. But after a while the sun at last peeked out from behind the clouds and i looked upwards and around me, it was… awesome!

View from above

Everyone got up and place started buzzing with activities. Everyone started taking photographs of everything. LOL.

Resting hut

As the sky grew brighter, Made made us a light breakfast – piping hot tea, hard boiled eggs and steamed banana sandwich.

It’s surprising that i hardly feel hungry after the climb. Nonetheless, we sat at the bench outside the hut and took the breakfast while looking at the view.

Volcano dogs!

I didn’t mind the tea and hard boiled eggs but the banana sandwich i could live without. It was just plain weird and soggy. Judging by the other’s constipated expression i think they pretty much agreed with me. Haha.

I looked around me and found most of hikers were feeding the sandwiches either to the monkeys or to the dogs.

Silhouette

Where did the monkeys and the dogs came from anyways? It’s funny that i didn’t notice their presence up until breakfast was served. Ah… the power of a hungry a stomach and the aroma of food.

We quickly tear our bread into small pieces and left it for the dogs. Friendly little things they are although very picky eaters (they prefer eggs than banana sandwiches), wagging their tails like that. I bet they are great hikers too *wink*.

Sisters!

The sun was then up and the sky clear. I could feel the warmth of the sun already albeit it’s still a little chilly.

Everything looks so green now and we wondered around by ourselves taking photographs for memories.

Some of the hikers continued hiking to the top of Mount Batur (2 hours climb) but we decided not to which is a smart decision. I don’t think i could have made it.

Scenic view

Below we saw the volcano larva now black as sooth, left by the last volcano eruption. It destroyed the villages nearby and killed many.

Now the lava is collected as building material of some sort. If you looked closely sometimes you can see a tiny red dot travelling across the black ash. It’s the truck carrying lava out from the site.

Black lava

As proof that Mount Batur is actually an active volcano, the guides made a great show of the steam issuing from the cracks on the rocks.

Smoke from the ground

The smoke definitely was hot. Apparently, it’s hot enough to keep the cigarette going and to boil eggs. Steamboat anyone?

Holy smokes!

The volcano crater was scary to say the least.

That’s where the Swedish tourist slipped and fell to his death.

Volcano crater

We were warned not to go to near to the rim (like we would even dare). It’s a 5,600 feet spiraling drop into hell. *gulp*

However, there were a few tourists who went to the lip of the crater for a photo opportunity even though the guides were shouting in panic for them to step away. It’s amazing how dare-devilish some people are.

Poser queen

It was almost 10am when we decided to descend.

I looked down at the worn path and wonder how the hell are we going to go down without breaking our necks. It seemed a long, long way down.

Us at Mt. Batur

Getting down from the volcano was not as difficult as i expected. Now in the day it was easier to maneuver and it was definitely less strenuous.

You know what, i practically ran down the slope .

Trekking at the plantation

If you ask me, descending was much more enjoyable than the process of trekking up the volcano. For one it’s less tiring and the view was fantastic.

Even so, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were times where we lost our footings and slipped, our shoes were spoiled by the time we reach the bottom. The slope was extremely rock-ribbed.

Plantation

There were plenty plantations at the foothill. Stretches and stretches of vegetations make the landscape utterly incredible.

We took our time enjoying the sight with Made whistling and singing in the background.

Foot path

I heard from far ahead that Made was playing the guessing game again this time with my sis. He was a up-beat lad.

We caught up and joined in the fun.

Groundnut

It’s the first time i’ve seen groundnuts that’s just fresh from the ground, you know, being a city slicker and all.

Definitely an experience i’ll cherish even though i really hated the taste of raw groundnuts.

Pleasant stroll

Noon came when we arrived at the base.

We reached the bottom We said out sad goodbyes to all the friendly guides that we bumped into on our way and said our thank yous to Made and the Coke guy. Great guys, great guides.

We will definitely miss them.

Mount Batur

Yande picked us up and drove us to a tourist spot nearby which was a surprise.

Here we could see Mount Batur from afar also Danau Batur the crater lake. It was magnificent.

Aftermath

That day was the best birthday present i’ve ever had. Happy 28th Birthday to me!

All tired but happy

Danu Batur

Every now and then when i browse through all the photos taken at Mount Batur i get this sudden urge to jump on a plane and finally take up on the Mount Kinabalu hike the boyfriend is forever suggesting.

The adrenaline and the satisfaction cancels out fear of heights. The view is worth every bit of energy and sweat.

To be continued at:-

Note:
All photos are taken with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX8 and Nikon D50