Mt. Batur

What a day! I don‘t quite know where to start. Let‘s try it with something positive. I booked a sunrise trekking tour to the volcano Mt. Batur (last eruption in 2000) and had a very early start at 2.10 am, when I was picked up by a driver who got us to the base camp where we arrived at 3.15 am. We had a cup of tea and a banana pancake and started to ascend the mountain. There is another mountain next to this one, but it was said that Mt. Batur is way easier. If you have a decent fitness level and enjoy hiking 1717m uphill (and down again), yes, it‘s manageable in the darkness with a flashlight and a somewhat fast pace. I actually did quite well and was soon told to move ahead of the group together with one of the two Brits. The other Brit - well, let‘s put it this way. I‘m sure he wasn‘t officially informed that you should be a) physically somewhat fit, b) not have pneumonia and c) not be inebriated. He stopped about halfway and decided not to continue. (Eventually, he did come to the top but much, much later and there are many scooters coming and going, offering you a paid lift…)
Then we found our spots, ready to watch the sunrise. I prepared my equipment (camera and tripod) and moved a bit further away to get a better view without people or huts in the way. I took some beautiful pictures.
And now, let‘s move to the next part. I will try VERY hard to keep the language PG-rated.
For a brief moment, when I wanted to adjust the angle of the camera, it decided it was tired of taking photos of the sunrise and would rather hurl down a few meters. Well, +#*%&&%. A quick first look did tell me it was still working somehow - but it had volcanic sand in every hole, there were scratches and the pole filter didn't fit anymore. It made funny noises and the crunchy sounds from zooming with the lens filled me with horror. Nothing I could do in the moment except trying to deal with the shock and assess what was most important: at least the camera still seemed to be working. How well, I couldn't find out, as we were on a schedule and I had to rejoin my group for breakfast . It was to be prepared on volcanic rock. I looked around, but all I could see was a dog and the guy was certainly happy. I could see why. He was eating my banana toast and eggs. Honestly, I wasn‘t that hungry anymore.
The trek downhill followed. During panicky troubleshooting and analysing the situation with someone who was thankfully still awake, I tripped over some rock and my phone, inspired by my camera‘s gutsy jump, followed into its footsteps and then looked the way I felt. The screen was completely shattered. As soon as I touched it, I got splinters. After some more urgent troubleshooting and a lot of moral support, I drove back to my AirBnB and started to solve the smörgåsbord of problems by taking a nap.
Hardly refreshed, I tried to locate phone repair shops nearby. It was quite a hike. Again. The first 7 shops couldn‘t help and said this wouldn‘t be possible in Bali at all. Funny enough, all of them were quite shocked when I showed them my phone. Luckily, I kept trying. The eighth one could help me! Within four hours, they repaired my phone. What a relief! The two guys were very kind and helpful. When one of them told me to leave me phone there, he gave me the phone number of the shop to inquire when I could pick it up. I pointed out that - if my phone was with them - how would I be able to reach them? He noticed the mistake, started laughing and said “smaaaart“.
Finally, when this problem was fixed, I went for dinner. (I had already had a Japanese-style pancake earlier as a snack (5/5).) For dinner, I went to a restaurant that was recommended to me by the couple from Melbourne that I met a few days ago. “This is Bali“ is a restaurant which I usually wouldn‘t have gone to because - while modern - it wasn‘t that cozy and you were really squeezed together with the other guests. But! The food (rice with tempeh (fermented soy beans) and a mango salad) was superb, so was the service. I gladly gave a good tip and enjoyed seeing their gratitude.

P.S.: It seems the camera is fine. But it doesn't feel as innocent anymore. The tripod might have cushioned the blow a bit, but then again, that wouldn‘t have happened without it in the first place.Read more