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Hello Everyone,

It's so nice to update our journal again. We have seen so much lately and I'm already starting to forget the details. This journal entry specifically concerns the village of Toya Bunkah. The village itself is not a place I wanted to stay in for too long, but it is also the starting off point for a sunrise trek up the Batur Volcano.

The restaurant and hotel employees in this town are very nice, but the sales people are a bit aggressive. Sometimes they would even approach us in the middle of a meal to sell us their goods. We were also concerned about paying too much for the trek to the top of the volcano, because every other tourist we asked, paid a different amount. I think we came out in the middle somewhere, but for anyone who plans to take this hike, it pays to shop around first. We hid out in our room most of the time, except for one other excursion to the hot springs. This luxurious oasis hardly seemed to fit in with the rest of the town. It's beautifully landscaped with views of a lake and mountain. It has posh changing rooms, a giant swimming pool, and of course the pure hot springs that are encased with elegant tile and pour forth from stone statues. We spend most of the day here and then went to bed in preparation for our early start the next morning (4 AM).

The climb to the top of the volcano was worth it however, as it was one of the best things we did this whole trip. As I mentioned before, we started very early and the entire way up took place by moonlight (we were lucky here, because it was a full moon). The eerie light and the forested path gave one the impression that can best be described (for all you Harry Potter fans out there) as a walk through the Forbidden Forest. After crossing this forested path, the way became much steeper and I wondered a few times what on earth I was doing, climbing a volcano in the middle of the night. Also, Jonathan and I aren't really used to climbing up steep mountains, so we were both pouring sweat and on the brink of exhaustion by the time we reached the top. Fortunately, we had an excellent guide, and even a soda vender who helped out, while carrying bottles of Coke and Sprite to the top of the mountain for us to buy when we got there. When we saw that even they looked tired, we felt a little better about having to take a break every ten minutes.

This rocky trip was all worth it in the end, because at the top of that volcano was a sight so spectacular that no pictures will ever do it justice. From here, the open mouth of the crater gaped at us, spouting hot steam and sending it into the cold morning. The ocean below was covered with a blanket of soft rolling clouds, that made one believe the world was a giant bed, a resting place for weary climbers on little sleep. From here, Mount Abang and Agung rose to meet us on the horizon. Far below, the trees were covered in a soft mist that snaked in and out of the lava carved earth. Splashes of long cold, crusted lava was strewn here and there on the rocky terrain. And when the sun came up, all else was forgotten. The volcano shone with a new light as the two heavenly bodies, sun and moon, met in the sky.

We were actually the first group to arrive at the top, but others soon followed and we all had breakfast together. The breakfast consisted of eggs and banana toast that had been cooked right in the steam of the volcano. After breakfast, we pressed on and took a very narrow path around the crater, before we went down on the other side. On the way we saw group of monkeys that live in the rocky terrain of the volcano, a bat cave, and holy water that was being blessed by the steam of the volcano. The way down was difficult, since it felt a little like walking in chocolate powder. It was more like surfing down than walking down, because the dark ground rock was so thick and slippery. The further down we came, the more we thought of the Evolution Forest we had seen in Singapore. The volcano that created the earth, then the slow formation of moss and ferns, and finally the growth of forested areas (that looked much friendlier in the daylight). It was a fantastic experience!

Luckily, we also made some friends. We met a nice Swiss couple (from the French section of Switzerland) at the hot springs and a French couple on the trek. The French couple offered to give us a ride to Lovina the next day, since they were headed the same way, so that's where we went next.

Till next time,

Zara

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