Mutual Respect (Mount Abang)

After hiking Mount Batur in the morning on August 17 2020, I continued my journey back to the mountain directly in front of me, namely Mount Abang. Because my friend, Bakta, couldn't join me in hiking Mount Abang due to a sudden event, I was forced to hiking alone. This was my first experience hiking a mountain alone and not staying overnight.

Mount Abang, located in Abangsongan Village, Kintamani District, Bangli Regency, Bali, is the third highest mountain on the island of Bali, after Mount Agung and Mount Batukaru. Having a height of around 2,152 meters above sea level (masl), Mount Abang is the highest point of the caldera embankment that surrounds Mount Batur.

The peak of Mount Abang is 2,152 masl

Bakta took me to the hiking gate of Mount Abang using a motorbike for approximately one hour from the hiking gate of Mount Batur. After arriving, we said our goodbyes and I went straight to the registration post to pay the levy ticket for hiking Mount Abang. At 10.30 am I started hiking from the registration post to go straight to the peak of Mount Abang that same day.

The Mount Abang hiking route is very different from the Mount Batur hiking route which is dominated by rocky sand and not covered by tree vegetation, the Mount Abang hiking route is dominated by uphill land and covered by dense trees. When I started my journey to Post 1, there were lots of hikers coming down from the peak because they had been celebrating Indonesian Independence Day there since this morning. After walking up for 45 minutes and taking turns going up and down with other hikers, I finally arrived at Post 1. There is a temple building at Post 1 with a hill in the background that was blocked by mist.

The temple is at Post 1

I continued my journey to Post 2 after taking several photos of the view using my handheld cellphone camera. Batur Lake can be seen from above which is occasionally covered by mist walking up side by side with me. "Oh, this is what it feels like to hiking a mountain alone," muttered my heart as I sat down to rest for a while. A feeling of loneliness enveloped me when the thick fog and rain from the fog fell slowly. Luckily there were still lots of hikers coming down, so I could still greet them. I encourage myself. After continuous hiking for approximately 50 minutes, I arrived at Post 2. There were several tents installed there where the hikers had probably spent the night yesterday. The temple and thick fog covering the trees accompanied my rest at Post 2.

Batur Lake visible from the Mount Abang hiking route

Thick fog enveloped the atmosphere at Post 2

Several times I stopped to rest for a while on the way to the top of Mount Abang. Indeed, my energy was drained earlier this morning when I hiked Mount Batur. Step by step I slowly forced it. Exactly at 13.00 pm I finally arrived at the top of Mount Abang.

The Hindus were praying when I arrived at the top

At the top I saw a fairly large temple building and Hindu people praying. A rare event that I have never seen before in the mountains I have hiked. A glass of coffee while enjoying the view from up here is enough to make my tiredness disappear. After taking several photos, I decided to go back down from the top of Mount Abang and return to the residence of my friend, Bakta.

There is a message in itself from what I saw on Mount Abang. The unique thing is that at every post up to the top and at several high-altitude locations there are temples for Hindus to pray at certain times. That we as humans essentially always live side by side with nature. Believe that humans and nature were created by God to respect and care for each other. This country is rich in diversity. And I understand that Indonesia can unite because of differences. Thank you to those of you who still love your homeland in any way. See you next time.

Matur suksma (thankyou).