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Joy Hemmans travels to the heights and depth of Bali in search of some of the unique features of this compact adventure island.

One of the more well known and certainly most well-publicized conquests of the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, was a determined attempt to start from the lowest possible point at sea level in India and travel by foot across the plains and hilly rises in the north of the country before finally ascending to the actual peak of the mountain in Nepal. 
The trek took months to complete and involved great mental stoicism and physical competence. It was a huge achievement, and was an expedition that could only be contemplated by the few elite sports people who had trained and worked towards that
goal over a period of many years.

Although hardly in the same league as this more infamous adventuring route, Bali has her own sea to summit possibilities, and there are several advantages to this scaled down version of the real thing. For starters, any willing adventurer of a moderate to good fitness level can attempt such an expedition, and it's also possible to fit a sea to summit trek even into the tight restraints of a regular package holiday schedule. Okay, granted, you would need to cheat a little and use mechanized forms of transport to assist you along the flatter sections of the route, but with a little  help it is actually possible to trek to the dizzy heights of Bali's tallest mountain, Mount Agung, and be back to the coast in time for afternoon tea and a lazy dip in the sea by sunset. 

One of the great attractions of the island is the range of exotic experiences and environments that are all cosily huddled together in this compact one-stop destination.  And what better way to get a decent sampling of this scenic smorgasbord than by crossing each environmental ecosystem in search of the extremes? 

PREPARATION FOR THE JOURNEY

When my friends and l decided to transverse the island, l felt that the sensible way to approach this adventure would be to reverse the direction. Taking into account the heat of the day, it is most common in Bati to climb mountains in the early early hours of the morning before the sun rises, and then  most sensible to head for the cooling sea when the exhaustion sets in. 

To climb the spectacular Mt Agung, most trekkers will travel up to the closest town am sleep there for a few hours before attempting an ascent. With only one small guesthouse, the accommodation options are not extensive but the rooms here are very comfortable, and it is usually possible to find lodging in a private residence as an alternative. Others will travel from wherever they have been staying already at around midnight and begin the trek on arrival. 

Your main task on arrival at the town is to appoint a guide. Some trekkers; who have already ascended the mountain will make the
climb without a guide , but unless you are very familiar with the route it is not wise to try to feel your way around in the dark. With a captive market, a lot of hard bargaining and patience is required to get someone at a reasonable price, so some time should be set aside for this phase of the expedition! 

We decided to settle into the guesthouse, and a friend's brother's uncle was called in to act as our guide. A couple of cigarettes and
firm words later, our guide agreed on a price, and we settled down for what was left of our few hours' sleep. 

We were glad to be tucked into our cosy beds at 2.00am when the alarm went off to alert us of the allocated departure time. With
a fairly steady rain outside, we quite happily set the alarm again, ready to go off in another hour, secretly hoping that the whole expedition would need to be aborted due to adverse weather  conditions. By 3.00am, however, the rain appeared to have cleared enough to make a summit attempt, so we all dragged ourselves from our collective groggy sleep and prepared for the journey ahead. Good walking shoes, extra layers of clothing for the cold, water, suncream and snacks were all tossed into backpacks, and we were on our way. 

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