[Visited on August 2019, Greek version follows]
The island of Bali, Indonesia is home to a couple of very active volcanoes, among which Mt. Batur (Gunung Batur) stands as the second tallest. At the foot of the mountain lies a wide lake, a byproduct of a past violent explosion together with a caldera.
The path to the top is covered with black sand instead of rocky terrain, and on the top there is a tiny hut that looks more like a shed. At various locations there are holes releasing hot vapors, which the locals use for steaming rice.
The magnificent view from the top includes Mt. Agung (3.031m), the tallest peak of Bali and most active volcano at the moment, with its most recent explosion taking place 2 years ago. Far in the horizon, a triangular formation is none other than the volcano-mountain Rinjani on the neighboring island of Lombok.
The hike starts in the early morning hours (around 4 a.m.), preferably together with a local guide, in order to arrive early at the peak of 1.717ย m and catch a break-taking view of the rising sun behind the lake.
It is a pretty popular hike, thus it is better to arrive earlier than the general crowd and secure a good position to enjoy the scenery. Most of the dwellers of the villages at the foot of the mountain work either as mountain guides or as taxi drivers to bring the tourist to the start of the path. After the hike, it is a good idea to wash the dust at the hot spring nearby. The one I went to was mixed-gender and had a view of the lake. It was almost exclusively occupied by tourists.
This hike is a bit different from the usual excursions in Bali, which mostly revolve around turquoise beaches or the jungle. Nonetheless, the sunrise at the top allowed me to feel one of the most fulfilling and optimistic emotions I have ever felt.
[Greek] ฮฯ ฯฯ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฯฮฟ ฮตฮฝฮตฯฮณฯ ฮทฯฮฑฮฏฯฯฮตฮนฮฟ-ฮฒฮฟฯ ฮฝฯ ฮฯฮฑฯฮฟฯฯ (Gunung Batur) ฯฯฮฟ ฮฯฮฑฮปฮฏ ฯฮทฯ ฮฮฝฮดฮฟฮฝฮทฯฮฏฮฑฯ. ฮ ฮฒฮฏฮฑฮนฮท ฮญฮบฯฮทฮพฮท ฯฮฟฯ ฯฯฮทฮผฮฌฯฮนฯฮต ฮบฮฑฮปฮฝฯฮญฯฮฑ ฮบฮฑฮน ฯฮท ฮปฮฏฮผฮฝฮท ฮฯฮฑฯฮฟฯฯ ฯฮฟฯ ฯฮฑฮฏฮฝฮตฯฮฑฮน ฮฑฮบฯฮนฮฒฯฯ ฮฑฯฮฟ ฮบฮฌฯฯ. ฮคฮฟ ฮผฮฟฮฝฮฟฯฮฌฯฮน ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮณฮตฮผฮฌฯฮฟ ฮผฮฑฯฯฮฟ ฯฯฮผฮฑ ฮฑฮฝฯฮฏ ฮณฮนฮฑ ฮฒฯฮฌฯฮนฮฑ ฮบฮฑฮน ฯ ฯฮฌฯฯฮตฮน ฮญฮฝฮฑ ฮผฮนฮบฯฯ ฮบฮฑฯฮฑฯฯฮณฮนฮฟ ฯฯฮทฮฝ ฮบฮฟฯฯ ฯฮฎ.
ฮฃฮต ฮดฮนฮฌฯฮฟฯฮฑ ฯฮทฮผฮตฮฏฮฑ ฯ ฯฮฌฯฯฮฟฯ ฮฝ ฯฯฯฯฮตฯ ฮฑฯ’ ฯฯฮฟฯ ฮฒฮณฮฑฮฏฮฝฮตฮน ฮธฮตฯฮผฯฯ ฮฑฯฮผฯฯ, ฮฟฮน ฮฟฯฮฟฮฏฮตฯ ฯฯฮทฯฮนฮผฮฟฯฮฟฮนฮฟฯฮฝฯฮฑฮน ฮณฮนฮฑ ฮผฮฑฮณฮตฮฏฯฮตฮผฮฑ ฯฯ ฮตฮฝฮฑฮปฮปฮฑฮบฯฮนฮบฮฟฮฏ ฯฮฟฯฯฮฝฮฟฮน. ฮฮบฯฮนฮฒฯฯ ฮฑฯฮญฮฝฮฑฮฝฯฮน ฯฮฑฮฏฮฝฮตฯฮฑฮน ฯฮฟ ฯฮทฮปฯฯฮตฯฮฟ ฮฒฮฟฯ ฮฝฯ ฯฮฟฯ ฮฯฮฑฮปฮฏ, ฯฮฟ ฮฮณฮบฮฌฮฝฮณฮบ, ฯฮฟ ฮฟฯฮฟฮฏฮฟ ฮตฮพฮตฯฯฮฌฮณฮตฮน ฯฯฮนฮฝ 2 ฯฯฯฮฝฮนฮฑ. O ฯฯฮนฮณฯฮฝฮนฮบฯฯ ฯฯฮทฮผฮฑฯฮนฯฮผฯฯ ฯฯฮฟ ฮฒฮฌฮธฮฟฯ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฯฮฟ ฮทฯฮฑฮฏฯฯฮตฮนฮฟ-ฮฒฮฟฯ ฮฝฯ Rinjani ฯฯฮฟ ฮดฮนฯฮปฮฑฮฝฯ ฮฝฮทฯฮฏ ฮฮฟฮผฯฯฮบ. ฮ ฮฑฮฝฮฑฯฯฮฏฯฮทฯฮท ฮพฮตฮบฮนฮฝฮฌ ฮพฮทฮผฮตฯฯฮผฮฑฯฮฑ, ฮบฮฑฯฮฌ ฯฯฮฟฯฮฏฮผฮทฯฮท ฮผฮต ฯฯ ฮฝฮฟฮดฮตฮฏฮฑ ฮฝฯฯฯฮนฮฟฯ ฮฟฮดฮทฮณฮฟฯ, ฯฯฯฮต ฮฝฮฑ ฯฯฮฟฮปฮฌฮฒฮตฮนฯ ฮฝฮฑ ฮดฮตฮนฯ ฯฮทฮฝ ฮผฮฑฮณฮตฯ ฯฮนฮบฮฎ ฮฑฮฝฮฑฯฮฟฮปฮฎ ฯฮฌฮฝฯ ฮฑฯฯ ฯฮท ฮปฮฏฮผฮฝฮท ฮฑฯฮฯฮทฮฝ ฮบฮฟฯฯ ฯฮฎ ฯฮฟฯ ฮฒฮฟฯ ฮฝฮฟฯ ฯฯฮฑ 1717m.
ฮฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮตฮพฮฑฮนฯฮตฯฮนฮบฮฌ ฮดฮทฮผฮฟฯฮนฮปฮญฯ ฮฒฮฟฯ ฮฝฯ, ฮฟฯฯฯฮต ฮบฮฑฮปฯฯฮตฯฮฑ ฮฝฮฑ ฮฒฮนฮฑฯฯฮตฮฏฯ ฮฝฮฑ ฮฑฮฝฮญฮฒฮตฮนฯ ฯฯฮนฮฝ ฯฯฮฌฯฮฟฯ ฮฝ ฯฮปฮฟฮน ฮบฮฑฮน ฮดฮตฮฝ ฯ ฯฮฌฯฯฮตฮน ฮบฮฑฮปฮฎ ฮธฮญฯฮท ฮฝฮฑ ฮฑฮณฮฝฮฑฮฝฯฮญฯฮตฮนฯ. ฮฮฏฮณฮฟ ฮดฮนฮฑฯฮฟฯฮตฯฮนฮบฯ ฮฑฯฯ ฯฮฑ ฯฯ ฮฝฮทฮธฮนฯฮผฮญฮฝฮฑ ฮฑฮพฮนฮฟฮธฮญฯฮฑ ฯฮฟฯ ฮฯฮฑฮปฮฏ ฯฯฯฯ ฮฟฮน ฯฮฑฯฮฑฮปฮฏฮตฯ ฮบฮฑฮน ฯฮฟ ฯฯฮฟฯฮนฮบฯ ฮดฮฌฯฮฟฯ, ฮฑฮปฮปฮฌ ฯฮต ฮบฮฌฮธฮต ฯฮตฯฮฏฯฯฯฯฮท ฮท ฮฑฮฝฮฑฯฮฟฮปฮฎ ฯฮฟฯ ฮญฮถฮทฯฮฑ ฮตฮบฮตฮฏ ฮฎฯฮฑฮฝ ฮผฮนฮฑ ฯฯฮนฮณฮผฮฎ ฮณฮตฮผฮฌฯฮท ฮฑฮณฮฑฮปฮปฮฏฮฑฯฮท ฮบฮฑฮน ฮฑฮนฯฮนฮฟฮดฮฟฮพฮฏฮฑ.
Extra: Here are some random pictures from Bali.
