Touring the calderas at Mount Batur

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Bangli, Bali

The Javanese usually say, "Wow, as beautiful as Sri Gunung. Beautiful from afar but very ugly, when near." This may also be an appropriate thing to say about the spot where Mount Batur belched out lava when it erupted in 1963.

The lava flow looks like a darkened mass on the southern slope of Mount Batur. It is just like one massive rock. For a while, you may think you are on another planet, devoid of vegetation, water and signs of life. Scorching sunrays that afternoon became all the hotter when this solidified lava reflected the heat of the sun.

When you get close to this mass, you will think these bright, hollow rocks, already decades old, have just been belched out. Of irregular shape, they are scattered over a vast area just like thousands of temples in miniature. Indeed, these may be considered a superb installation work in Bali, the island of the gods.

This sight is one of the unique features that one can find when going round the foot of Mount Batur from its southern slope. Mount Batur is one of a popular tourist sites in Bali but tourists usually can only enjoy its beauty from Kintamani or Panelokan.

Kintamani and Panelokan are part of the caldera located on the southern side of Mount Batur. From here, tourists can get a full view of Mount Batur surrounded by its calderas and also enjoy the beauty of Lake Batur, which is located on the eastern side. However, if you wish to enjoy the Mount Batur fully, you must descend to the bottom of the caldera, to which a paved road has been built.

This paved road goes round Mount Batur. Although it is not very broad, it is wide enough for cars. There are in fact several roads to the bottom of the caldera but the safest for cars is the one that passes Panelokan. The other two roads are too steep.

Volcanologists are right in saying that a Batur caldera is like a giant kettle. It measures 13.8 kilometers by 10 kilometers and is one of the world's biggest and most beautiful calderas. No matter on which side you stand, Mount Batur looks graceful with a mixed foreground: a mass of lava, a vast expanse of sand, a pine tree forest and the life in villages on the mountain's western and eastern sides.

While on the southern side you can see the lava flow that the volcano belched out in 1963, on the western side, you will catch sight of human settlements. The further north you go, you will find more densely populated areas. In the last five years, the villages on the western side of the slope of Mount Batur have seen rapid development. You can fine permanent stone houses amid old buildings with thatched roofs.

When you are in this western valley, you will find yourself surrounded by the mountain. On your east, you will see Mount Batur. Meanwhile, on the western side, you will see the walls of caldera I and caldera II forming giant steps. Soil and rock layers on these walls show their beautiful texture when seen from below. As these calderas are very wide and deep, the eruption must have been very powerful. Humans feel very small when standing inside these giant kettles.

The caldera on the western side, which looks barren and lacks water during the dry season, is now a densely populated area. The locals no longer think that this is part of a volcano and that it could pose any danger to them. They have developed this area just like other places. They farm, raise cattle and conduct trading. This area is now abuzz with migrants.

Even the mass of lava in Yehmampeh village that the mountain spewed out in 1974 is now flattened and the area is ready to be converted into a human settlement. The vast expanse of dark solidified lava looks like a paved road.

However, amid the rapid growth of human settlements in the western area, public facilities such as latrines are still rare. During the trip, we could spot locals -- male and female -- freely responding to nature's call wherever they chose to. For them, this is not unusual because water is hard to find. To foreign tourists, this may not be such a pleasant sight.

After going along the arid western side, we finally got to the northern side of the slope of Mount Batur. This is a densely populated old village. Here we could witness greater mobility among the locals. We could see traditional markets and stalls on the roadsides. The roads were quite busy with motorcycles and cars.

This northern area also separates two different natural conditions in the Batur calderas. While water is scarce on the western side, there is an abundance of water from the lake on the eastern side. Farmers can source water from the lake and use pumps to irrigate their farmlands. That explains why along the edge of Lake Batur up to the mountain slopes you can see green farmland.

Meanwhile, along the road on the eastern side, you can find quite a lot of hotels and restaurants, especially in Toyobungkah village. This cool village is home to a hot spring that can reportedly cure various ailments. From this place, you can freely enjoy the view of Lake Batur, which is surrounded by the walls of the eastern caldera. Across the lake, right at the foot of the wall of the eastern caldera lies Trunyan village, which is noted for its unique burial rituals.

It is from this eastern side that mountaineers usually climb to the top of Mount Batur to view calderas I, II and III. From here, the climb will take between one and one-and-a-half hours. It is advisable that you take a guide if you wish to climb Mount Batur. These guides can be found in Toyabungkah or in Kintamani. When the volcano is not active, it is quite safe for tourists to climb to the edge of the crater. Today, you can even find several food stalls at the edge of crater I, which is at the very top. Morning is the best time for climbing.

It will take you less than three hours by car to travel round the ring road that goes round Mount Batur at the bottom of its calderas. If you make this car trip, you will find traces of the greatness of this old volcano. Few, however, have made this trip.