Temples and Volcanos

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We headed south again via a dormant volcano called Mount Abang. This was basically a small volcano in the blown-out crater of what was once a very big one. The journey up the rim of the crater was tough on the poor old staff cars and, of course, one of them broke down again. Coupled with that, the cars were open top and it started raining. We were drenched.

Our ears were popping the whole way up and the top was literally in the clouds. As we were nearing the top, we came across a temple that was up a long flight of stairs. Up we went, but we soon regretted it - our legs felt like jelly and we were gasping for air, presumably due to the altitude and the lack of oxygen.

It had been our plan to climb the volcano, but we soon abandoned that idea when we discovered what hard work it would be, especially after that experience with the temple. We also had the excuse that it was raining and it would be irresponsible to go climbing volcanoes in the rain, wouldn't it!

Later, as we were heading south again, we came across a funeral, which Bali is famous for. The people of Bali are deeply religious and funerals are a huge affair. We had also noticed that they leave little offerings on the doorsteps of their houses to keep evil spirits away. What usually happens however is that a dog will come along and eat the offering, so the people believe that the dogs are possessed by the evil spirits. If a dog is sleeping in the road then the traffic will stop and wait until the dog moves. This can lead to some very long traffic jams and none of them will move the dog out of the way. This belief is not held by us tourists however, but the look of horror on their faces when we clear a dog out of the way is enough to make you wonder whether you might live to regret what you have just done.

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Photos

Mount Abang
Mount Abang and Lake Batur from the old volcano rim

Mount Abang Temple
Temple on the rim of the old volcano

Remote Temple
Another temple whilst we were lost in the hills

Top of Waterfall
The climb to the top of yet another waterfall

Watefall Jump
Mad locals jumping off the waterfall