CYCLING BALI DAY 2: VOLCANO CLIMB!
I had big plans for today: 88 km / 54 miles of cycling in mountains. That entailed 35 km up the flanks of volcanic Mt. Batur to Batur’s crater rim, another 7 km uphill along the crater rim itself, 36+ km downhill to Bali’s north coast, then a final 10 km to the city of Singaraja on flat, but congested, coastal roads. As it turned out, my day consisted entirely of Volcano Climb…
 Rice fields along road |
Pathetically, I fell far short of my goal, reaching only the crater rim for the day. I’d previously had suspicions about my big ambitions, especially since I hadn’t done a long cycling trip for ages. But I also felt confident that I could tackle it, especially after yesterday’s easy cycling up to Ubud.
 Chicken cages for sale, roadside |
The steepness slowed me down from my usual 20 km/hour to about 10-12 km/hour. Mid-trip I estimated that the 37 km climb I’d expected to complete in 2 hours would take me at least 3 hours. Hmmm. Three hours entirely uphill? Yeow. Not my idea of a fun ride. But I pressed on…
Actually, the first 2 1/2 hours went well. I maintained good stamina and energy. While grinding along I was also able to enjoy the beautiful scenery and intriguing sights slowly rolling by. I stopped regularly to take photos.
 Ceremony decorations on sale along the road up volcano |
After huffing and puffing a while, I got out of my predicament by hailing down a small delivery truck and asking him to lug me up to the crater rim. He took pity on me, tied my bicycle on the back of his truck, squeezed me into his cab with his young wife and baby, and drove me up to the crater rim. I was mighty glad, too, because those last 3 km were the very steepest of the entire road. I’d have never made it.
 Driver who gave me a lift up last 3 km to Batur crater rim |
 Lake Batur, inside Batur crater, with hilly crater rim behind |
 Temple at Kinatmani town on Batur crater rim |
 Row of temple ‘guards’ at Kintamani Temple |
 Kids at Kintamani |
Initially I thought I might recover my strength and press on to my original goal. But I gradually gave up, opting to spend the night on the crater rim in Kintamani market town. Luckily, as I’d guessed, there was one lone guesthouse and they had a spare room. Yippie. I suffered through an ice cold bucket shower then wandered around for the rest of the afternoon. At least I was well prepared for the crater rim’s cold weather. I bundled up in my new pants, 2 pair of socks, 2 long-sleeved shirts and a bandana to keep my ears warm. It worked. That night I slept in all my clothes, huddled under 2 blankets in my cute little room until dawn. I started the next day witnessing a sunrise over the volcanic crater.
Then on to Day 3: Cruising Down Volcanic Ridge Lines.
Cycling Bali Guidebook – Lash – LashWorldTour – travel book
If you’re inspired to cycle around Bali, check out my guidebook-
Cycling Bali: Guide to Circumnavigating Bali by Bicycle
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Hi! I'm Lash, an American nomadic world traveler who's been traveling solo since 1998. I’m passionate about traveling the world nomadically and then sharing it all with you. I hope to inspire you to travel the world, to entertain you with tales from the road, and to help you reach your travel dreams. Welcome! 
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BICYCLING DAY 1: Seaside Resort Town up to Bali's Aritistic Heartland | LashWorldTour
2012/02/26 at 10:14 am (UTC 8) Link to this comment
[…] will display here (config: default)« PHOTO GALLERY #4: ROAD TRIP AROUND RURAL BALIBICYCLING DAY 2: VOLCANO CLIMB! » BICYCLING DAY 1: Seaside Resort Town up to Bali’s Aritistic Heartland 2010/11/19 by […]
CYCLING BALI DAY 13: HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN, DIGGITY DIG... | LashWorldTour
2012/02/26 at 11:03 am (UTC 8) Link to this comment
[…] along Bali’s north coast, with Agung smiling down on me from her northern side. On other days Bali’s Mt. Batur had partially defeated me as I grinded up it’s southern flanks to the crater rim. I’d been rescued on the final 3 […]