The longing to set foot on the highest ground became even more widespread when I was forced to be confined to the city after the Covid-19 pandemic which attacked all aspects of human life. Yes, a virus that forces all human activities to be at home and gather with the people around them. Likewise with me, lecture activities had to be forced online without face-to-face meetings in class. After the lecture schedule was finished and the semester break arrived, I was forced to hold back my longing for the mountain even longer after not visiting it for five months. Until finally mid-August 2020, precisely on the 13th, I had the opportunity to visit the island next to Java, namely the Island of the Gods, Bali. Not only beaches, Bali Island also has beautiful mountains and it would be a shame to miss them.
Apart from that, I want to celebrate Indonesia's birthday on August 17 by hiking a mountain, which was my first experience hiking a mountain on Independence Day. However, there is something different about the 2020 hiking activities. Many mountains are still closed due to the pandemic. Several mountains have implemented health protocols such as wearing masks, always washing your hands using water or hand sanitizer and maintaining distance from people around you to anticipate the spread of this virus. With much consideration, I decided to go to Bali Island to hiking Mount Batur and Mount Abang in Kintamani District.
Mount Batur is an active volcano in Kintamani District, Bangli Regency, Bali, Indonesia. Located northwest of Mount Agung, this mountain has a caldera measuring 13.8 x 10 km and is one of the largest in the world (Van Bemmelen 1949). Inside the caldera there is a crescent-shaped lake that occupies the southeastern part called Batur Lake. With a peak height of 1,717 masl, many tourists come here to enjoy the natural beauty of Kintamani from above.
Batur Lake and the peak of Mount Batur can be seen from a distance
This journey started with my campus friend named Damba to Surabaya by train from Pasar Senen Station, Jakarta. However, Damba only came along until he got off first in Lamongan because he intended not to come with me to hiking the mountain. I continued alone towards Pasar Turi Station, Surabaya. When I got there, I was picked up by my campus brother, Tirus, to stay and rest for a day at his house because the next train was going to Banyuwangi the day after tomorrow. I continued my journey to Banyuwangi by train from Gubeng Station at dawn after I was taken by Tirus to the station.
At noon I arrived at Ketapang Station, Banyuwangi and immediately ordered a boat crossing ticket from Ketapang Harbour to Gilimanuk Harbour. After more than 1 hour passing through the Bali Strait, I arrived and set foot on the island of Bali. As soon as possible, I will look for a bus to take me to Ubung Terminal, then I will immediately change to a vehicle that can take me to where my friend lives in the Bangli area. Bus took me for 3 hours 30 minutes until I arrived at Ubung Terminal. Arriving at the terminal at night, I had a hard time finding public transportation. There were lots of motorbike taxis offering me rides at high prices. My friend told me, he said just go to Batubulan Terminal and he would pick me up there. I took a motorbike taxi to take me to Batubulan Terminal. There, I rested for a while at the post office while waiting for my friend to pick me up there. Half an hour passed, finally my friend, Bakta, picked me up and took me to his house where later for 4 days in Bali, I stayed overnight at his house. Because my body was still tired from traveling, after talking with Bakta at his house, I immediately went to sleep and rested my body until the next day.
In the morning, the day before Indonesia's independence day, I was invited to tour the tourist attractions in Bali. Indeed, several tourist attractions in Bali have not been opened for tourists to visit due to the pandemic. I was only invited to visit several beaches and enjoy the city atmosphere in Bali. In the evening we prepared our luggage for tomorrow's hike. Every now and then Bakta asks me what hiking mountains is like, why I like hiking mountains and other things. Naturally, he had never hiked a mountain before and tomorrow would be his first time hiking a mountain. After everything was done, we had to sleep quickly because early in the morning we had to rush to hiking Mount Batur to see the sunrise in time for Indonesia's 75th birthday celebration.
Exactly at 02.30 am, we woke up from sleep to rush towards hiking Mount Batur. Cold air accompanied us on fast motorbikes to Pasar Agung Temple as the start of the hike. It only took 45 minutes from Bakta's house using our motorbike to reach the foot of Mount Batur. Arriving at the entrance to the hiking gate, we and several hikers were detained by guard officers. We were all held back from hiking, because there was a crowd hiking Mount Batur. "Ah damn," said my heart. However, a few moments later we were offered by local residents who wanted to take us to the vehicle parking area above near Jati Luhur Temple. Without thinking for a long time, we agreed to his offer. Arriving at the vehicle parking lot at 04.15 am, we immediately rushed up to the top of Mount Batur accompanied by flashlights and millions of stars in the sky.
Parking area for vehicles wishing to hiking Mount Batur
Pasar Agung Temple is the starting point for the hike
The route to hiking Mount Batur can be said to be very draining. At the start of the hike you are immediately faced with a steep uphill track dominated by rocks. We took a break several times to drink the water we brought. There are no springs on Mount Batur, therefore hikers are advised to bring enough drinking water when hiking. Mount Batur might be said to be suitable for beginner hikers or those hiking for the first time because it is estimated that the hike takes a short time. It only takes 2-3 hours for hikers to reach the peak directly. However, before hiking we still have to prepare our conditions as much as possible, starting from equipment to our physical readiness to be safe on the hike.
The sun rises on Indonesia's 75th independence day
The faint yellow line of the horizon began to peek out from the eastern horizon. Batur Lake and Mount Abang are clearly visible as far as the eye can see. The majesty of Mount Rinjani across the east is also slowly becoming visible. Devotee looked very happy to see a view like this for the first time on the mountain. From then on, he became addicted to mountains. Maybe it was my first time hiking a mountain to see so many hikers going up, it was so busy. A few minutes until the top, we decided to sit and make coffee while looking at the sun on August 17th, the 75th anniversary of Indonesia's independence. Ah, what a beautiful moment this is. Several hikers were seen carrying red and white flags while singing the song 'Indonesia Raya', followed by several other hikers.
The peak of Mount Batur is crowded with hikers
After drinking coffee and the sun was shining brightly, we walked a little up to the top. At the top of Mount Batur there is a temple for people to pray. We captured photos of views filled with hikers everywhere. Long-tailed monkeys are also often seen hanging from the trees at the top.
The temple is located at the top of Mount BaturBakta and I rushed down from Mount Batur because after coming down I intended to go straight back up Mount Abang. However, Bakta couldn't participate, his friend suddenly invited him to an event via cell phone. It's okay if I hike the mountain myself later. We descended carefully because the rocks we stepped on often slipped down. After arriving at the vehicle parking lot, we sat down and rested for a while while stretching our legs. Not long to rest, Bakta took me straight to the hiking area of Mount Abang.
It has been 75 years since this country was free from colonialism. Is this country independent? For me it has. To say that this country is not yet independent is to disrespect the struggles of previous heroes. But, the question is, have we fulfilled the independence of this country? It is our duty as the nation's generation to improve and advance this beloved country. For me, by hiking a mountain there is a message in itself that means I love this country more and don't want this nature to be damaged by a few irresponsible people called invaders. May we always be free. Freedom does not mean freedom to do bad things, but freedom here means freedom from bad things. Not freedom to arbitrarily, but freedom from arbitrariness.
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