Oculus time again. This is a picture of Gunung Batur (Mount Batur) on the island of Bali. It is an active volcano and this picture was was taken from the rim of the caldera which was formed around 25,00 years ago. The present cone rises some 700m above Lake Batur which has formed on the caldera floor. The last major lava flows were in 1968 and can be seen clearly as dark basaltic out purings out from the main cone but the volcano urmbles and emits steam regularly. It looks and sounds remote but there are literally hundereds of restaurants and tea houses stretched along this, the southwest part of the rim forming part of the town of Kintamani.
Nearby is a Volcano Museum which wasn’t there last time we visited and contains some great models and geological samples. My eldest (7), who’s totally into seismographs at the moment (even more so after watching ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ twice on the plane on the way over…) thought it fantastic. We found a little staircase in one corner of the museum labelled ‘Observation Room’. We ascended the stairs to find a little bright room with several tripods with high powered binoculars pointing vaguely at the volcano. The tripod mounts are very wobbly and the scopes could not be focussed … oh well. On the way back down we stopped at a little glass door where we found the resident seismologist who seemed completely chuffed to have some interested visitors. He welcomed us in and showed us the seismograph which had a trace on its drum from a tremor that morning. Mr 7 was in heaven!
Of course my oculus came to Bali with me and although it stayed in my camera bag most of the time … it came out whenever I remembered it was there … like this occasion. Shot using my favourite lens my Nikkor 50mm f/1.4.
another place I have to add to my list of things to do and see. great photot. will there be more of Bali?
Thanks, there will be more 🙂
Bali is a beautifully rich place and unique in Indonesia for being of Hindu persuasion rather than Islamic. Tiny shrines and offerings (Canang (pr. Cha-nung)) are everywhere. Strange I saw no cockroaches but I know they were there … perhaps the geckos keep them under control … they get pretty big over there huh? The bottom of your thong (meaning flip-flop!) works wonders … you have to clean up a little afterwards though 😉
breathtaking proposal wonderful and elegant
Thanks Fabrizio.
Marvelous!
Thank you Elena
I’m so in love with this shot. Call me strange but I often lie on the floor and just like ‘The Twits’ in Roald Dahl’s book I image the floor as the ceiling and the ceiling as the floor. This image brought that to mind.
I love The Twits! I feel like yelling out “You’ve got the Shrinks!” very loudly!
I sooo love visiting your blog, Geoffrey!! You really have great talent for capturing incredible moments in images & in words!! Now I wish I could teleport to Bali and see this amazing mountain 🙂 One day… one day… 🙂 for now I will just surf your blog and take in all the words and images!!
Wouldn’t a teleport be fun! Not sure I’d want to be the very first to try one out … but after that? Oh yes!
Thanks for dropping by and of course you’re welcome anytime 🙂