Mountains have always fascinated me. Something about them that never really gets repetitive. No matter how many times I've hiked, I always find them breathtaking. Maybe it's because of their size. You can't really comprehend how big it is. Maybe it's also a reminder that the Earth can create such beautiful gigantic figures. That there is a possibility that such massive structures will pop out from the surface. That we are truly living in a special time where we get to enjoy millions of years of Earth's evolution.
I am not a crazy hiker but I did my fair share in Europe. Here is a slideshow of Monte Bondone, Italy. I was quite addicted to it, but I realized I didn't even do that much in my own home country. So the moment I arrived in Bali, I was just waiting to gather enough friends to finally hike. One year later, I finally organized a hike with my fellow giftmakers and friends. Starting with the easy one - Mount Batur.
It was July 2020, mount Batur was still open with limited slots. Maya drove all of us from Canggu at 2 AM. The road was empty, but dogs were in the streets, so you still need to be really careful. We arrived at around 3 AM and started hiking around then. Along the way, a dog joined us, all the way to the top. We arrived at the top way before the sunrise and met a few other hiker groups.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the perfect day to do the hike as it was foggy.. We ended up not being able to see the sunrise from the top. Regardless, it was a very cozy atmosphere. People were jamming to Oasis inside, while we were all sipping our hot tea or coffee. Sooner or later, monkeys showed up to steal our food. The dogs saved the day with their barks.
Going down was an entertaining experience. After having to hike win the darkness at 3AM, you are greeted with the same path, but with the sun shining on the leaves. The same path was colored. It made me think of artists nowadays that are recoloring black and white photos in the 50s. Easily one of my favorite hikes because of that. If you're an advanced hiker, you may find it boring or too commercial, but Batur was still beautiful.
That weekend became one of my most memorable trips in Bali. Despite it being only half a day as we all passed out by 1PM, I at least get to forget everything about my daily routines. Being present isn't a challenge if you have to walk uphill focusing on your breath and the views. I started telling myself I should go on more adventures. But then busy-ness took over and some trips are just too difficult to organize. Next on the list is Mount Agung, one that takes 8 hours to go up.
So, whether you like mountains or not, what is that one nature-trip that you have been planning to do? For my fellow friends in Bali, where should we go next? Hopefully, I've inspired some of you to go back to nature and truly enjoy what this country has to offer. More importantly, realize how important it is to step outside of the work mindset to refresh our brains.