Back in October 2017, whilst attending a wedding of a best friend on the island of Bali, history was in the making. The active volcano Mt Augung was ready to erupt for the first time since 1963. The island had been on lock down for around 3 days after the first warning and then followed by the airport closing. Many travellers on the island were looking for alternate routes to leave. It was a strange feeling because none of the locals were not that bothered to be honest. Everyday life continued for the local Balinese as if it was an occasion that happened once a month! For the tourists on the island i could sense a little fear amongst everyone as facebook messages were appearing on the groups and Chinese whispers were floating around. A few of us discussed the options, whether to take a train up to Java, wait at the airport for a flight to neighbouring Thailand or Singapore, or to buy supplies and sit tight. There was a real worry of when the volcano would erupt that the ash would blanket the island and we would have to be locked indoors for a considerable amount of time.

I decided to buy supplies, sit tight and pull out the backgammon and guitar. At the same time and i’m not sure why, but i had the wonderful idea of jumping on the scooter and riding 3 hours north up to the volcano!! A fellow traveller Jorge (@jorge_m_m) from Merida in Spain, who needed a little convincing, decided that it would be a perfect time to get some quality travelling snaps!!

 

 

So we decided to go ahead with the great idea of leaving at 2am in the pouring rain with our rain coats on, hopping on the scooters and starting our ascend up the mountain to Mt Augung. We were heavily advised to stay away from the volcano as the eruption was imminent and we could be in grave danger! But what the heck we trundled our way up there at 35mph in the pissing down rain with our cameras and bottles of water stowed away in the scooter.

We had no idea where we were going really, as google maps wasn’t working properly and the streets of Bali are all very similar looking with limited signage. With a little bit of help from the gods and a little sense of direction we were on the right track, climbing in altitude and eyes that started to burn and sting!! This was the first real exciting part as we had to pull over and apply our gas masks and sunglasses!! You could really feel the change in the air as we got closer. My eyes began to stream and become filled with grit. There was a change in the air  temperature too. It became very clammy and humid but was also quite chilly as we gained altitude heading to our view point.

Around 04.00am and 15 km’s from our stopping point, the sun was beginning to rise and the ride was becoming a little easier with natural light in our favour. Several cars had passed us with the same intention as Jorge and I, showing their madness too by beeping their horns. We passed through a couple of check points and 40 minutes later we had reached our destination and we were greeted with an incredible view of nature taking its cause!! Mt Augung was 50 Kms in the distance and was sure letting everyone know who is the boss!!

So we parked the bikes quickly, had a quick chat with some locals who kept us warm with some tea and biscuits and proceeded to snap away at the Volcano waiting in anticipation of any signs of eruption. We were blessed by some of the locals for making the journey up there, but who had actually gone against the government advice and decided not to evacuate the surrounding area.

To see nature speaking to us and letting us know who is boss was quite simply amazing and to be there in the flesh. Albeit the weather was not on our side in the morning of our adventure, nevertheless the ride and the build up of adrenaline was ace. We stayed up there for around 2.5 hours waiting for any signs of an eruption but she continued to just bellow out smoke and ash like she was just teasing us!! So we supped another couple of teas, took a few more photos and started the long journey back. It was well worth it anyway!!!