On the Top of Mount Batur.

It's pouring like buckets. Almost as if Bali wants to give us a sign that it's time to go. And that's exactly what we plan to do - at least temporarily. Today is our last evening in Ubud - and therefore also on Bali - before we take the ferry to Lombok tomorrow morning, an island east of Bali. We had a really good time here and miss both Canggu and old man's a lot.

It's even more beautiful that we are spending our last evening with Marietta from Munich and Toby from Australia, whom we both met exactly a week ago. And by pure chance, we meet again in Ubud. Additionally, two acquaintances of theirs - Gabriel and Nico from the USA - join us, who are super nice and entertaining.

But everyone at the table is pretty exhausted and tired. That's because we all participated in the hike to Mount Batur today - with 1717 meters of altitude, the second highest mountain or volcano in Bali, or so they say - to watch the sunrise from there. We had to be ready to leave the hostel at 2 am. There we were loaded into various cars or minibusses and taken to a nearby hostel for a small refreshment in the form of banana pancakes with a very strange consistency and tea. There we also got to know the other members of our hiking group. In addition to Lisa and me, it consists of Lara from Bochum, Amy from South Africa, and Riley from Alberta, Canada. All three are traveling on their own.

After an hour's drive, we finally arrive at the starting point at the foot of the mountain. At least that's our assumption, because it's so dark that you can't see your own hand in front of your face without a flashlight. However, we are given flashlights by our tour guide, Ayu, together with water and some provisions. And then we're off. There's already a great pilgrimage from the parking lot towards the mountain, and we simply join in. But Ayu seems to want to reach the summit first, because she sets such a pace that we overtake several other groups in no time before we reach the steeper part of the hike. From now on, we can only move in single file and slowly make our way up the mountain in the light of our flashlights. It's not easy at all, as the terrain is very rocky and you have to be careful where you step. Despite the clear night and early hour, we all break a sweat. After about 1.5 hours of hiking, we reach the plateau. Another 25 minutes of walking separate us from the summit. On the horizon, you can already see the first glow of the rising sun - still 40 minutes until the actual sunrise, according to Ayu. So we decide to continue the rest of the way.

Once we reach the top, an incredible view awaits us. The rising sun allows us to see beyond the beam of our flashlights for the first time. Due to the climb, we find ourselves above a layer of clouds, which towers up and is bathed in a mysterious light by the sun. Everyone tries to get the ultimate photo, but so much beauty simply cannot be captured in a smartphone.

As soon as the sun has risen enough to hover above the sea of clouds, the mountain also comes to life - suddenly there are monkeys everywhere you look. And they are pretty cunning because they are after our provisions. Ayu also warns us and shows us a trick on how to keep them away. All you have to do is pick up a small stone and throw it near the monkeys. Then they run away immediately.

To escape from the monkeys and because it's getting quite warm at the summit with the rising sun, we start the descent. And it is actually even more strenuous and challenging than the previous ascent. You really have to take your time and concentrate hard on the path, as loose stones, slippery soil, and protruding rocks make it very difficult to make progress. Maybe that's also the reason why the descent seems to take twice as long as climbing the mountain. But finally, we reach the bottom - or so we think. At the foot of the mountain, we realize that while we are now standing on paved roads and have a firm footing, the actual goal - the parking lot - is still a few minutes' walk away. And it doesn't seem like anyone is going to spare us this way by picking us up. So we grit our teeth and walk the remaining 40 minutes with a full bladder.

Day Trip to Ubud

The city of Ubud is located in the highlands of Bali and is known as a center for traditional crafts and dance. It is also surrounded by wild rainforests, beautiful rice terraces, and Hindu temples and shrines. We definitely didn't want to miss that. So we booked a day trip offered by the hostel.

The first stop was the Tirta Empul Temple, a Balinese Hindu water temple near the city of Tampaksiring. The temple complex consists of a bathing facility that is famous for its holy spring water, which plays an important role in the ritual cleansing. Such a cleansing took place on today's day as well. Two members of our group even participated in it. For this, you dress in a traditional sarong and then go into the pool with the holy spring water flowing in from several fountains. And under one of them, you hold your head after a short prayer to cleanse yourself of all evil.

Afterwards, we continue with our bus to a coffee plantation, where we first receive a short tour of the plantation and then get to taste various teas, coffees, and chocolates. You can also try the most expensive coffee in the world here, which is made from the excretions of monkeys called luwaks.

After lunch amidst rice fields, we then continue to the rice terraces, where we even descend into them. Because the rice fields are constantly submerged in water, the paths are very muddy and can actually only be walked barefoot.

Finally, we visit a waterfall, which is not really particularly spectacular and also very crowded.