Me and my new Indonesian friend decided to go to the mountain Batur. Usually you go there in the middle of the night to enjoy the sunrise at the top. Even though we were a little late and saw the sunrise on 2/3 of the way, the views were unbelievably gorgeous.
It’s an unforgettable feeling to encounter a mountain like that – your worries shrink while you stare in awe taking in the enormity of the world.
When we started our hike, the road all the way to the top was illuminated by the snake-like string of flashlights that glittered just like the Milky Way. Despite there being a lot of people, entire hike was very quiet and peaceful. Looking at the stars and slowly moving forward – step by step, breath by breath – has built some kind of rhythm to it, which stayed with me until I reached to the top. When you are at this mountain, there’s no place you’d rather be.
When we reached the top and the sun was warming the hills again, and the steam from the natural hot springs rose and mixed in with the morning fog that hugged the mountain like a big fluffy blanket. The monkeys rose with the sun and went about their lives not being disturbed by the disturbing people. Pictures of heaven must have been inspired by this place.
I believe the monkeys on the top have found their zen – that’s the only explanation why they could tolerate the people being jerks. Jerks tried to feed the monkeys, sometimes throwing food/trash or yelling out trying to grab monkeys’ attention to get a better picture. The monkeys seemed content though – they tolerated the tolerable and put disturbers in their place when needed. They were beautiful and proud. There is no doubt about who runs that mountain.
There were a couple of downsides to this experience though.
One thing that upset me was the trash. There was so much of it.. People (locals and tourists alike) carelessly and mindlessly litter, making this place suffer. I have a great respect for this mountain; if I were to see so much trash thrown at me, I’d erupt much sooner.
The trash was not the only thing that was so … special about this place. When we just arrived at the entrance of the trail, we were approached by what seemed to be a gang of Indonesian guys that came on a truck. My companion, being Indonesian, talked to them in local language for a long time. They haven’t explained what was going on, so I just moved aside waiting for them to figure out their stuff.
Turned out that the gang was actually this independent business that makes sure that all the tourists get a tour guide to help them… walk straight? The job must be really tough, considering how much they charged.
Look, there are only 2 trails on this mountain -the more intense one and the less intense one. You come there and you see the line of people going up – there is absolutely no way for you to get lost there (unless you’re trying to). The trail gets a little rough in some sections, which requires nothing but you being careful. There is nothing the guide can do about it, except keep telling you to be careful (duh..).
My friend was Indonesian, so they said it’s ok if he doesn’t pay, but (pointing at me) they said that I have to pay. Just so that you can understand the setting – it’s dark, you don’t know the language, a gang of guys comes after you in a truck saying that you have to pay because… you have to pay. I felt intimidated, and the last thing I wanted to do was to argue (even though it felt so unfair). So I paid.
There is a good side to the tour guide – they give you a bottle of water, a flashlight (even if you have brought your own), and they may carry your backpack if you are tired. This is nice and if I was alone and have not prepared for this hike, I’d probably opt in on having a guide. My point here that this should be voluntary – not forced. Especially not when you already came all the way here in the middle of the night.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand that having a tour guide is essential in some places (like caves) where the ecosystem is fragile and dangerous – for both, the tourist and the cave. Here, the guides might care for the nature (I’m not trying to make them look bad), but they are not trying to protect it, nor are they educating tourists and locals visiting on how to do that. As a result – all the trash.
I also understand that supporting the mountain organizations indirectly supports the mountain. I was hoping that part of the money we paid would allocated for that, but to my surprise, there was a separate donation checkpoint on the exit from the mountain.
All of that left me feeling a little cheated, but it was worth being able to see the mountain and the monkeys. I guess this is the first time I truly understood what a tourist trap is.
Chasing Phantom 
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