Mount Batur Sunrise Trek
- Shanta Tomar.
It was a unique day. The kind of day when we started trekking in the middle of the night to be able to witness the magical sunrise that attracts thousands of tourists from across the world, around the year. Yes, I am talking about our Mount Batur Sunrise trek.
Sacred Mt. Batur, 3,841 feet tall, is Bali’s most active volcano. The sunrise trek is a popular tour for several reasons. Besides exploring an active volcano and climbing one of Bali’s sacred mountains, you also get to witness the incredible moment when the first spear of light pierces through the clouds and lights up the sky in a riot of colors.
The idea of Mt. Batur trek was brewing on my ‘to-do” list since the time we started talking about the possibility of travelling to Bali. I checked several websites on offers related to Mt. Batur trek but did not book any. Once I reached Ubud, I talked to my host(KoMang) about it and got a great package. We were supposed to start the trek at around 2.00AM so that we reach the sunrise point on time. To stay in line with the plan, we were picked up at around 12.30 AM from Seminyak. It was raining and I haven’t slept. I was weary and my face was pale. There was still a twinkle in my eyes whenever I thought about the sunrise. Oh! How beautiful it must be!
We (my husband and I) hurriedly got dressed and tied the laces of our trekking shoes. Please wear comfortable shoes with a good grip. It will help you complete the trek without any injury as you will be required to walk through slippery terrains and walk past huge rocks while it rains.
We reached the starting point of the trek at around 1.45 AM. It didn’t take more than 20 minutes to complete the formalities, hire our guide (Wayne) and prepare our bags. KoMang decided to trek with and insisted on carrying our food, raincoats and water
bottles. We were handed our individual torch lights and began our journey. We started walking in complete darkness, the path illuminated by nothing but the torchlights. It had rained sometime back and the terrain was slippery. All that mattered at that moment, was to keep one foot ahead of the other, follow the footsteps of Wayne and try not to slip. I wondered what the surroundings must look like and only on our way back we realized that we were walking along colorful tomato and onion farms. It was windy and lightning stroke intermittently. I carried a light sweater to stay warm. An hour later, we started climbing rocks and very soon we could see the city lights gleaming beneath us.
We were moving up the mountain though the sunrise point looked far away. In the middle of the climb, we got a much-needed break when Wayne stopped and knelt in front of a small shrine, head bowed with incense sticks burning in his hands. The fragrance mixed with the mist of the mountains, gave birth to something so pure and soothing. Wayne said that it is the shrine of the Mountain God and they offered prayers to the God every day to keep everyone in the area, safe and smiling. I joined my hands, said my prayers and started walking towards the sunrise point. The city lights looked majestic. It was a wonderful feeling. Of course, we were a bit tired but with a little help from one another, we managed to keep moving. We would walk for a while, rest for a while and in the middle of all that, Wayne shouted, “You did it”.
I looked around. Indeed, we were right there. Several others joined us soon. We had a cup of coffee and secured a spot to watch the sunrise. In right about 10 mins, the sky started glowing. From grey and blue to orange and red, the color of the sky transformed in a matter of a few minutes. The clouds suspended above Batur Lake looked breathtakingly beautiful. Being a sky chaser, it was a dream come alive. Never had I seen the sky dressed in such magnificent colors and splendor. We were mesmerized. There was a flow of good energy and spiritual vibrations, I could feel it.
We all did. All our physical and mental endurance looked so tiny in front of the majestic view of the morning. This is my favorite thing about climbing mountains. Overcoming the challenges of the body and the mind, pushing yourself harder and overcoming situations you never thought you could. My spirit grows tenfold every time I climb a mountain.
I took tons of pictures. Pictures of happy people, the glittering sky, the crater, the steam coming from the depths of Mt. Batur, the grass, the leaves, the city below, the suspended clouds…I could not come back without not clicking enough pictures of all that made way to something so beautiful, so royal. We spent hours at the top and had our breakfast that comprised of boiled eggs, fried bananas and danish.
Walking back to the parking area took an hour approximately. Very soon, were boarded our car and I could see Mt Batur smiling at us from afar, bidding us goodbye. “I hope to see you again, sometime”, I said as I smiled and drove away with a heart full of gratitude and happiness to our next destination.
You can read more of my adventures at www.amillionvoicesinside.com
