Today, after a max of like two hours sleep, we woke up at a dire time of 12.30am for our sunrise volcano trip! We got picked up from the hotel at half one and set off towards Mt Batur. The bus journey wasn't great as it was stuffy and hot but we got there in about two hours at about half three in the morn, the sky was still pitch black and it was pretty windy and cold.

After eating some sweet bread for a boost up, I got my head torch on and we made our way up the volcano. We trekked for about two hours up very steep loose terrain consisting of volcanic ash and rock. I made the unwise choice of wearing converse and not walking shoes. Big mistake, the ground was so rocky and uneven. But I managed to make it to the main checkpoint and we were then told we could go further up, all the way to the top and that we would get to cook eggs in the volcano steam. Sam, Jessie and Rick stayed behind. But given the choice of more adventure, I obviously went for it, along with Nic and Isaac.

We trekked another twenty five minutes or so up an incline of pure volcanic ash. The ash was slipping away beneath my feet and there was nothing to grab onto, making very little progress, so the guide offered me his arm and ended up pretty much pulling me up the volcano. We reached the very top of the volcano and we could see the light starting to spill out of the horizon. We drank coffee and watched the sunrise, the sky was pretty cloudy, but the sun was so bright you could see the sun vividly anyway. All we could see was just the sun and nothing else, so beautiful and mesmerising.

A guy, possibly one of the locals, kept chatting to Nic and saying he was single and she was single and that they were single on a mountain together, it was so hilarious and cringe.

Then we went to steam cook our eggs. The guide popped them into a little crook poofing with steam and after a few minutes the eggs were completely hard boiled. Tasty little treat :).

As the morning went on, the clouds disappeared and the surrounding views slowly became visible. We walked around the volcano looking at craters and calderas (flat, dipped part of volcano - more geology lessons from Nic). The views were incredible. There were many people shouting "ECHO" into the craters and listening for their echoes, I contemplated shouting "Jessie!" but whimped out.

Coming back down the volcano was much, much easier! We pretty much just slid down the ash covered parts. We got back to the minivan and the guy took us to a natural hot spring spa, the hot water directly pumped from the volcano. Just like a warm/ hot pool, with one cold pool that looked a little like an infinity pool. The view was incredible and you could see the whole volcano in the distance, there were lots of local fisherman also in their longboats just doing their thing. After chilling around in the most luxurious water, we went back to the minivan and stopped somewhere for a buffet lunch and then continued our way home. Back at the hotel, yet more lazing, pooling and eating and then knackered we had an early night.