On the crater lake, a photo from Bali, Nusa Tenggara

Photographer's Note

After a few days on the Indonesian island of Lombok in early September 1976 I returned to Bali. I spent just one night in the capital Denpasar and then moved towards the northern part of the island. My first stop was to see Lake Batur, formed in an old caldera of the still active Mount Batur.

Already in 1976 tourism was the main business on Bali. After I had checked in at a small hostel in a village called Penelokan, located on a mountain ridge high above the lake, I went to look for the road downhill to the lake. According to my diary I was immediately overwhelmed by people "sticking to me like leeches", trying to persuade me to buy woodcarvings, rent a horse, rent a canoe, rent a motorboat, rent a guide to climb the volcano.

I didn't buy or rent anything but made my way on my own down the long and partly very steep road to the lake. I have previously posted a photo from where I stopped to enjoy the view:

https://www.trekearth.com/viewphotos.php?l=7&p=924494

In the village by the lake I was overrun by a new crowd of people offering me to rent a boat, but neither the one in this photo nor any other attracted me much, so I just watched the lake from the shore. There wasn't actually a lot to see.

During the night I was regularly awakened by eruptions from a small caldera on the slope of the volcano. In the darkness fire could be seen squirting out from the mountain. Every eruption made the windows of my room rattle and the building trembled lightly.

The night was noisy and cold, so soon after 5 in the morning I got up to watch the sunrise, wrapped in a blanket. You can see that in the WS, where there is also another photo from the lake.

All photos were scanned from Kodachrome slides.

Fis2, ikeharel, ChrisJ, Royaldevon, pierrefonds, jhm, ktanska, PaulVDV, Ilonka1974, adramad, jean113, mcmtanyel ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

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Fis2 (169903) 2020-12-07 0:56

Witaj Gert!
Another wonderful photo from daily life.
Excellent framing and colors.
The boat makes impression.
Have a good new week without COVID-19!
Good morning.
Krzysztof

Silvio1953 (220775) 2020-12-07 1:06

Ciao Gert, nice scene with fishermen and boat, fascinating reflections, excellent clarity, splendid light and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

ikeharel (112565) 2020-12-07 1:11

Three impressive pictures, Gert, must say I'd humbly suggest to post the sunrise photo as main picture on another day, it is one great take.
A superb scan-job done, well preserved quailty of the original's.
Have a nice new week,
Ike

ChrisJ (171392) 2020-12-07 1:16

Hi Gert

I didn't go down into the crater but enjoyed the view of Batur from Kintamani on the flank of the volcano. Good sharpness and nice reflections & colour in this superb daily life scene on the caldera lake. Tfs!

Royaldevon (85678) 2020-12-07 2:21

Hello Gert,

Three excellent photographs and certainly altering the impressions that I have of Bali. (That is the joy of this site, just informally learning about places far away!) I associate Bali with lush vegetation, but this main shot, beautifully composed, shows a lake surrounded by bare slopes.
The boat looks old and dilapidated, yet obviously important to these young people. The green reflection seems to accentuate your report of pollution.
I love the early morning photograph, so romantic!

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

pierrefonds (113716) 2020-12-07 4:35

Hi Gert,

I appreciate the reflections on the water. The point of view is showing the details of the boat. The light has a good effect on the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jhm (211734) 2020-12-07 6:08

Hello Gert,

Lovely panorama view with the rocks in background.
Nice taken with the boat on foreground together the man and child.
An excellent picture with the pleasant area.
Sharpness and clarity are perfect
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

GyurMaster (24696) 2020-12-07 6:34

Dear Gert,

WS2 is really beautiful with its colours. It really worth your effort to stay up early in the morning to take it. On the other hand this, the main photo is surely the best, a real nothing special framed with a beautiful landscape.

Best Wishes,
Gy.

CMJC (5095) 2020-12-07 7:23 [Comment]

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ktanska (44492) 2020-12-07 9:34

Hej Gert,
Quite spectacular place. Obviously we can see the edge of the crater on the other side of the lake. IAnd I can imagine the view that is left outside the frame. That boat looks seriously worn out, but I guess it still floats.
Kari

pajaran (115071) 2020-12-07 10:07

Pozdrav.
Lep ribarski brod i priroda, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i dobrim tekstom.
Dobar rad sa lepim fotografijama u radionci, dobro uhvaceni trenuci.
Lepe fotografije i secanja.
Zelim vam sve najbolje.
Paja.

PaulVDV (62810) 2020-12-07 10:55

Hello Gert,
The name Penelokan tells me something but I think I only paid a short visit to Lake Batur.
These three pictures are very beautiful and I wonder why I didn't stay any longer there ... I have never kept a diary :)
It's wonderful how those mountain walls rise straight out of the water. It's therefore a crater lake.
The old boats and their owners make a very interesting subject of the photos while your early morning shot has splendid colours and a very good composition. The silhouettes of the vegetation are well placed.
Best regards, Paul

jmdias (114402) 2020-12-07 11:10

gert

the natural aspect of the images. beautiful the people and the boats and the lakes.I remember two cities in peru and chile, where we had information about danger and how to escape if the local volcano exploded..
here the 4th dead people, curiously 3 of them were men from rural zone, I guess they don't pay attention to the protection..

take care

jorge

Ilonka1974 (10289) 2020-12-07 12:00

Hi Gert,
Beautiful picture,
Excellent presentation.
Very good composition.
Well done.
Best regards
Janusz

Tue (91700) 2020-12-07 12:01

Hej Gert,
Et meget godt billede i det klare lys med båden på den stille vandoverflade og de to mennesker. De gule farver spejles godt i de små bølger. Det må have været en meget speciel oplevelse at høre og se de små vulkanudbrud om natten.
Lars

adramad (72622) 2020-12-07 12:13

Hi Gert.
Two interesting images of these old boats that sail through the crater lake, seem to be about to disappear from old ones, the panorama of the sunrise with the total view of the lake and the mountains that surround it is impressive.
An image to enjoy, with its beautiful coloring, great luminosity and perfect sharpness.
Superbly captured. I love.
Happy start to the week.
Very best regards.
Luis.

lousat (138703) 2020-12-07 12:37

Hi Gert,excellent memory this time my friend. It 's really bad to be around and being surrounded by insufferable clingy individuals who try to sell you everything and make you lose the taste for travel. I read that however you have not given in, not even to the "cruise" on the lake .. ehehe .. the photos are very beautiful, especially the one of dawn with the alarm ... automatic .. hehe ... Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

ifege (47131) 2020-12-07 20:11

Hi Gert
When I visited the Lake Batur area there were a couple of villages in ruins and abandoned because of the volcano. 3 good photos from the lake.
cheers
Ian

emka (157292) 2020-12-08 0:33

Hello Gert, I would probably choose the sunrise view as the main one. And it is very rare that you get up so early, isn't it? This view of the boat and the guys is also nice. Mount Batur and other volcano are what I regret from Bali. The water hyacinths are indeed aggressive, should I show them?
Best regards Malgo

jean113 (27667) 2020-12-08 11:28

Hello Gert, three lovely shots from your 1976 trip.
In your main post we see lovely reflections of the boat on the rippled water, whilst in the workshop picture of the sunrise, we see the subtle colours as the sun makes its entrance with dark silhouettes of the land .
Your notes always make an interesting accompaniment.
Thanks for sharing, kind regards, Jean.

kasianowak (17672) 2020-12-30 8:12

Another beautiful combination of people and landscape. I like the tight crop so we can only see a hint of the mountains in this one and the amazingly blue water than contrasts nicely with the warm hues of the boat.
The workshops are also lovely and I would have a problem choosing which of the three I like the most. Even though the sunrise photo is of course completely different than the other two.
Somehow... I wish I could see that erupting volcano... maybe a bit less the trembling windows. :-)

mcmtanyel (67819) 2021-08-30 18:44

Hello Gert,
That boat looks really dilapidated, I wonder if it is seaworthy. Early morning view from the mountain is my favorite.
Regards,
MT