← PreviousA cycling day in Bali: rice terraces and templesThe alarm was set for 2:15 am and we had to be on form for the climb up Mount Batur. We'd barely had time to get ready when our driver for the day turned up. We got into the spacious car and headed for Mount Batur, which we'd climb to watch the sunrise. After an hour's drive we reached the foot of the mountain and met our guide. He gave us headlamps and walking poles and we started the climb.
We'd seen that loads of people did this climb and assumed it would be an easy route. Not a bit of it! After two hours of effort, we admired the view from the summit. We were soaked in sweat and the icy wind froze us. Fortunately, the sunrise warmed our hearts. Our efforts hadn't been in vain; it was truly magnificent. We were even surprised to see a family of monkeys wandering about on the summit begging for bits of banana. To warm up, we stood in front of holes in the rock and savoured the heat given off by the volcano.
It was a brand-new experience. The descent was much quicker than the climb; you just had to be careful not to slip on certain parts of the slope. The hike had taken more than four hours and we were really tired by the time we got back in the car. Fortunately, we'd planned a stop at the hot springs at the foot of the volcano. In an idyllic setting, we could rest and enjoy a long moment of relaxation.
As we were tired, we cancelled the last temple visit and went straight to eat at a panoramic restaurant. Well, that was the plan until we saw the absolutely prohibitive prices. For 100,000 rupiah they offered us two drinks, whereas for that sum we could have a hearty meal in town. So we decided to have a drink before going back to Ubud for lunch. We returned to the little restaurant from the day before, which we'd liked a lot. The clock said 2 pm and we went for a nap in our room. We were truly exhausted and forced ourselves to wake up at 5 pm to enjoy a bit of the evening.
We went to book bus tickets to Padang Bai and withdraw money before dinner at a very nice little eatery. We went to bed early again, as we were leaving the hotel the next day on a 1:30 bus. After the usual breakfast, we packed our suitcase. I took the opportunity to reorganise it from top to bottom so it would be ready for the return to France. We left the hotel around 11 to walk to the bus station. It was a kilometre's walk, and with luggage that wasn't easy, as there was hardly any pavement. We arrived without a hitch and without having anything stolen by the monkeys. Our bus was due at 11:30 but left at 12.
Traffic on the roads was really chaotic and we reached our hotel around 2 pm. Of course, arriving in Padang Bai, we were harassed as usual by locals to the tune of "taxi, taxi" when we had 200 metres to walk to our hotel. At times we even felt we were being insulted. After dropping our things, we headed for one of the town's beaches, not without difficulty for me, as my stomach was giving me trouble. It was supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the area, a hidden treasure. We got there by a very stony little dirt path, and as we emerged onto it, we found a sort of open-air rubbish dump. There were a few stalls on the beach and the rubbish was thrown right there on the ground between the trees. Of course we were also accosted on our towels for sarongs, coconuts, taxis and massages. We went back to rest at the hotel, a bit overwhelmed by the situation. We went out again to eat around 8 pm at a very good little restaurant and went to bed.