All new updates are at the end of the article

In Bali, the Agung volcano awoke in September. The most high point islands and the most revered mountain by the Balinese: for them this volcano is sacred. And this volcano - however, has always been active, so of course it is not entirely accurate to say about it that it has woken up. But it seems like it sounds more significant? :-)

One way or another, the magma inside the volcano is making its way higher and higher, and the area around the volcano is regularly shaking (the other day there was the strongest earthquake, just over 4 according to Richter). And although no one can predict the date of the eruptions (even with an accuracy of up to a month), the activity inside the volcano increases so regularly that anything can happen at any moment. About a week ago, villages living on the slopes of the volcano began to be evacuated. The local Ministry of Emergency Situations declared the area within a radius of 12 km from the volcano dangerous for visiting. (Upd. for December: eruptions have begun, but not large ones, everyone is waiting for larger ones).

News sites around the world have blown this situation out of proportion (almost to headlines like “Agung eruption is the beginning of the end of the world”). Nowadays you can’t even log into Facebook without Agung FM starting there :-)

Until the last moment, I had no intention of writing anything about Agung on the blog (enough with announcements on social networks). But then I realized that it is still very difficult for a normal person to understand all this non-informational confusion. May God grant the 1% adequate information without panic. I myself have understood the topic of volcanoes so much today that just a little more and I can apply to study to become a volcanologist. (Joke)

But jokes aside, in this article I tell you in detail how things are going with the awakened volcano in Bali. Here is everything you need to know about Agung in general and about volcanoes in general. The information is supported by authoritative sources, but by the way, those who read this blog already know about my meticulousness in terms of information :-)

Add new information to the end as soon as it appears. Also at the end there will be official and various other sources whose opinions you can trust. Here we go!

There are more than 100 active volcanoes in Indonesia

For the uninitiated, any mention of the words volcano and eruption in the same sentence automatically means panic. For those living in Indonesia (and neighboring countries close to the Ring of Fire, that is, the Pacific volcanic ring of fire), volcanoes are almost an ordinary phenomenon. Along the perimeter of the ring there are more than 300 volcanoes (almost half of them in Indonesia), each of which erupts from time to time, causing earthquakes or tsunamis. Scary? Yes, but in moderation.

It was a small piece of history to at least understand how it was then. (By the way, in addition to 1963, there is also evidence that Agung also erupted in the following years: 1843, 1821?, 1808)

Below is a video about how it all looked in 1963. An interesting note is that the majority of people died because, instead of evacuating, they considered it necessary to continue praying to the gods and doing ceremonies, appeasing the spirits of the volcano. In this sad sense #balitakoybali!

A volcanic eruption is not always a one-time attraction

The photo above is of Sinabung Volcano in Sumatra (another island in Indonesia), which has been erupting since 2015, for example. And so he decided to give it away again. The photo is just fresh, literally taken the other day :-) This volcano either subsides or erupts again. Who knows what our Agung will decide to do with you?

The hardest thing about the whole volcano situation (besides the fact that no one knows when it will happen) is that no one knows how long it will all last.

For clarity, I’ll give you this table with world statistics. In the left column is the duration of the eruption, in the right what percentage of eruptions occur during this duration. For example, only 10% of volcanoes “erupted” in a day and calmed down. And a full third of volcanoes erupted within 6 months. I gave an example of how this happens and how processes are extended over time in the case of the eruption of the 60s.

Source: http://www.volcanolive.com

What should tourists do?

First: turn off panic mode and follow official announcements.

Second: use trusted sources of information and watch less TV and read the yellow press. Because those guys’ task is to increase viewing/reading ratings, and not to provide verified information or educate people. I will write more about verified sources below.

Third . The island (and country) is preparing for the possible consequences. Yes, Indonesia is, of course, not the Western world and everything is a little different here, but if there was a real risk of threat to the entire island, tourists would have been evacuated long ago. But they are not evacuated and the local Ministry of Emergency Situations constantly reminds that if you are in the tourist south and do not climb to the volcano itself, then there is no danger. Therefore, if you are already in Bali or just planning to, just finish reading the article to understand all the risks and calmly continue your vacation.

Fourth. On this moment the airport is functioning, planes are flying and arriving. No one closed it in September and October, but UPD closed it for several days in December. For information: there is also a classification for airports in terms of danger in the event of an eruption. (For aircraft engines, it is dangerous to get into the engine volcanic ash). The aviation hazard classification levels are: green-yellow-orange-red. Now the level is orange (raised on September 26), which, as in the case of a traffic light, means “attention”. Red is when flights are prohibited due to volcanic ash in the air. Now there is no ash, because there is no eruption itself. Therefore, until there is an eruption, flights will not be canceled. And as you understand, since there is no date for the eruption, it means no one has information about whether your flight to Bali, which will take place, say, in 2 weeks, will be canceled (yes, everyone asks each other these questions all the time, but no one has an answer to they cannot exist). What to do? Check the information closer to departure to see what status the airport is in; if it’s in red, it means it’s closed. If you switched to yellow/green again, then you can generally relax. Your airline knows this information for sure; it’s better to find out there.

By the way, what will happen if the airport is closed? Now (again official information) many other airports in Indonesia will be ready to receive tourists if landing in Bali is not possible. Of course, getting to another Indonesian island rather than Bali is hardly a solution to your vacation problem, but at least you don’t have to worry about landing somewhere :-) There is a bus service between the islands (not the best), and from Lombok can be reached by fast boat. Boats to East Java also take one and a half to two hours. I think there will be options.

Fifth, if you are wondering whether or not to cancel your trip to Bali, then no one here except you will answer this question. If I had tickets in hand and was faced with such a choice, I would not cancel anything. But I am me. I'm not an alarmist and if necessary I'm a bit of a fatalist. And most importantly, I studied enough information to know all the possible risks (and I know that there are not so many of them). But if you understand that you won’t be able to rest peacefully, thinking about the volcano every day and that in Bali you will clutch your heart and drink valerian, then why expose yourself to such stress? Even if you lose money for a non-returned ticket, why torture yourself. I am writing this seriously. Your (nervous) health is more important than any money. Study the information (this article will help you) and act as your intuition tells you. We all know those wonderful situations when for some reason a person missed a plane, and the plane crashed and everyone died. Perhaps your intuition knows better?

Sixth, if you haven’t bought tickets to Bali yet, you might want to wait until the situation is resolved and not buy them. What should you expect? Transferring the status of a volcano (not an airport) to another status. Currently the status is red AWAS/Danger. If they change it to orange, it means the risk of an eruption has been temporarily removed. Yellow and green mean that you can generally relax. Status information can be viewed on the Magma Indonesia website (map) or in the phone application with the same name.

Seventh. I myself (like many other expats) are now in Bali, we don’t plan to “escape” anywhere and just continue to live a normal life, monitoring the activity of the volcano via a webcam :)

Will we be covered in ashes and will we suffocate from gases? Or not?

Everyone is afraid of the volcano, but what I’m most afraid of is human stupidity, people’s inability to think in panic mode and, most importantly, the reluctance to go and get acquainted with the information before turning on this very panic. When I write something on social networks on the topic of “stop panicking,” I am usually accused (openly or behind the scenes) of being too frivolous about the situation. But for some reason, no one who considers himself so “serious” went and educated himself about volcanoes. How everything happens, what are the risks, what is dangerous and what is not, how other eruptions occurred. You should read this not on news sites, but on the sites of volcanologists explaining the reasons for the action of volcanoes. On the websites of the Ministry of Emergency Situations different countries(especially countries in the ring of fire area, here these volcanoes occur constantly and emergency procedures have already been developed). But usually, the less a person knows, the more nonsense he continues to share on Facebook, reposting the results of other people’s panic attacks.

For example, the biggest panic attack of expats living in Bali was about what gas mask to buy and at what point to put them on so as not to die from toxic gases. It's not even funny. This is the idiocy of the tenth level. People spent hours on these discussions, but no one went and read about how these gases are a real danger for people located 50 km from the volcano. Even more than that. The other day, someone posted a link to an online store where we urgently needed to run to buy special masks, which are the only ones that will save us from death.

I went to the website of the mask manufacturer and read: for occupational hazzards. And I realized that the only people who are worse than people who create panic out of nowhere are people who are not able to learn any language other than their native one, while living abroad :-) So for these people I would like to separately explain that these masks are made for those whose work/profession is related to volcanic activity. That is, those who hang out at the crater of the volcano and monitor its activity, those who will work as rescuers or are simply at risk during / after the eruption, etc. In the instructions for the masks, just in case, it is even highlighted in bold and red that these are not masks for the general public, that is, not for the population. But only for those whose work (=occupation) is associated with danger (=hazzards).

Let me explain. It will be quite difficult to die from the toxic exhaust of the Agung volcano while in your villa in Seminyak. There are more chances of slipping on the side of the pool and hitting your head :-) Because if you are not at the prohibited distance of 12 km from the crater, then toxic gases will not happen to you. And masks are needed for completely different reasons, but more on that below.

The next point I want to draw attention to is that people confuse everything. Lava and flows (pyroclastic) are dangerous, but God forbid they will crawl 5-10 km from the volcano. Above I gave distances tourist areas from the Agung crater. We also found out about gases that they won’t go far.

About ashes and masks

The only thing that remains is volcanic ash. Scary scary ash. Which will cover the earth and we will all die. Ash, yes, can fly very far, and the larger the eruption, the more ash. But in order for the ash to be a real inconvenience and danger, you either need to be right next to the volcano, or if a very large explosive eruption occurs and the wind blows in the direction where the tourist south is located.

The most important thing we need to know right now is that ashes are NOT toxic. I’ll tell you even more: volcanic ash contains natural fertilizers (and you think why there is such green and active vegetation around the Agung volcano, all thanks to how it was fertilized in the 60s). And I'm not kidding. Volcanic ash = fertilizer. Yes and much more. If you now go to the site iHerb.com, beloved by many, and type volcanic ash in the search, you will see a lot of products containing something volcanic - face masks, ash soap, etc.

(For those who don’t believe me that ash is not dangerous, here is an official document from New Zealand (they also know a lot about volcanoes), confirming this information.)

Ash poses a hazard in entirely different ways that can be partially or completely avoided. For example, in terms of “inhaling” ash, the risk is similar to if you inhale dust. It will be very difficult for asthmatics; everyone else will feel very uncomfortable. Ash is not cleared from the lungs, so masks will be needed to protect the throat from ash (=dust), and not to save yourself from toxic poisoning. Therefore, you don't need a gas mask, you need a good thick mask that will stop ash particles from entering your lungs.

The same with the eyes, imagine you are caught in a dust storm (or at a kitespot, where the wind (and sand along with it) blows 30 m/s and you are lying on the beach sunbathing) - all this will be in your eyes. You need a mask/goggles to protect your eyes.

At the moment (upd. as of mid-December), none of the emissions from the Agung volcano carried ash either to Ubud or to the tourist south. Those who rushed to buy masks most likely never unpacked them.

That is, it’s a good idea to have a mask and it’s a good idea to consider whether your home is airtight enough if ash does blow in your direction. Well, that is, if you have these ventilation windows in your house, as in all houses in Bali, you should think about what you will use to close them if something happens. Since in the event of heavy ash fall in some areas, it is recommended that at first you simply “lock up” the house and wait until everything at least settles. Again, IF THIS EVEN HAPPENS.

If you're asking yourself what type of mask you need and what it might look like if volcanic ash falls, it's something like this:

Photo from the Internet from the eruption in Chile. NOT FROM BALI :-)

Other risks with ashes. If you are close to a volcano and there is a lot of ash, it will cover everything with an even layer (sometimes very thick), from which, for example, the roof can collapse and drown you. And the roofs will need to be cleaned of ash. But ironically, there are statistics that some of the deaths after a volcanic eruption occur because a person climbed onto the roof to clean it, fell from the roof and broke his neck. That is, you never know where the end awaits you :-)

Don't forget about the wind

In the case of the amount of ash, no one can predict anything. On the positive side: it is now the rainy season and the wind usually blows from the west, which means that all the ashes will not be blown away in Bali, but on the contrary from Bali towards Lombok and the Lombok Strait. But if the wind changes to the one that blows during the dry season, then oh-oh-oh it will be carried from the volcano towards the tourist south.

But no one can tell you now how much ash there will be, how much it will cover you in your particular hotel. If you are not ready to take the risk, it is better not to go to Bali yet.

UPD. Let me clarify once again that as of today, December 14, no ash has been observed or observed in the tourist south at all. And in general, the life of tourists has not changed at all, except that now the ascent to the Agung volcano had to be postponed until better times. But at the same time, the Batur volcano remains, on.

The procedure to follow if a massive eruption occurs and the ash does come to the south, where expats live and tourists vacation:

Here are the instructions from BNPB (Indonesian Ministry of Emergency Situations), translated by Mikhail Tsyganov(our local Indonesia specialist).

It concerns exactly what to do with the ashes that will cover us :-) In a nutshell, it all comes down to the fact that you need to seal your house from ash-dust and, if possible, wait inside the house until the ashes settle. This way there will be less contact with the ashes. At some point, the ashes will settle and then it will be safer to go outside.

Immediately close all windows and doors and block ventilation ducts.
Turn off the air conditioners, go to enclosed spaces that are located ABOVE the ground.
Seal openings in door jambs with damp towels.
When going outside, wear long sleeves and long pants, use masks and glasses (not contact lenses)
Ash is especially dangerous for those suffering from respiratory diseases and children, so it is better for them to stay indoors at all times.
After an explosion, try not to travel to areas of the heaviest ash fall.
If necessary, clear ash from house roofs as its weight can cause collapses.
Help your friends, neighbors and animals.

I’ll add from myself:

If you don’t have a mask and ashes are falling out, you can simply soak a rag in water and wrap your face with it. Ashes should not get into the respiratory tract or on the eyes. Skin allergies can also occur.
Ash poses a danger to all electronic gadgets; they should be covered with film or something else, especially if they are outdoors (for example, an air conditioner or a washing machine).
In addition, earthquakes are possible; in the event of strong tremors, on the contrary, you should not be indoors (in this case it is better to be in the ashes than to die under a collapsed house). Well, in the event of strong earthquakes, you should unplug all electronics from the sockets.
Remember about animals, it is better to keep them indoors.

Airport closures are a major inconvenience during an eruption

Apart from the ash, which may or may not blow up the whole of Bali, the most important inconvenience that a volcanic eruption can cause is airport closures or flight restrictions.

For example, at the beginning of December, some flights were initially canceled - towards Australia - since the ash was blowing in the direction where the plane from Bali to Australia was supposed to fly. A little later, the airport was closed altogether for three days. Then they opened it again and flights resumed.

What happens if the airport in Bali is closed? Your airline will either fly you to another airport in Indonesia on neighboring islands and then take you by land and water to Bali, or offer you to rebook your ticket for other dates or even refund your money. Everything will be at the discretion of your airline, but according to the experience of December, many airlines willingly returned the money and changed the dates or directions of departure (for example, instead of Bali, to go to Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines).

That is, hypothetically, you will not get stuck in Bali itself or on the way to it if the airport is closed. In fact, I will tell you that the last thing you want on your vacation is to take a plane ride to Bali or sit for hours or days at the airport on a layover, waiting for your airline to come up with your option to get to Bali.

At the moment, there are three main airports that will accept Balinese planes if the airport is closed (let me remind you that it is currently open, information from December 14): this is the airport on the island of Lombok and two airports on the island of Java - this is Surabaya ) and Jakarta.

The road trip from Lombok to Bali takes about 8 hours. There may be more as there are sometimes queues for the ferries that run between Lombok and Bali. As a life hack, it is easier to get there by speedboat as it takes 2.5 hours instead of the 5 hours that the ferry takes. Whether these boats will sail or not will need to be found out as they go. By the way, if there is a lot of ash, then most likely Lombok airport will also be closed.

Getting from Java is hell multiplied by ten :-) In normal, non-traffic mode, the journey to Surabaya by car takes 12-13 hours. Based on the experience of the previous closure of the airport in Bali, there were traffic jams + a lot of people wanting to leave, as a result, people spent 15-16 hours on the bus to Surabaya. Jakarta is even further away. It takes a day to get there by car, and I think even longer by bus. In general, both of these travel options will not bring you joy at all. It’s better to wait it out and not fly to/from Bali while the airport is closed.

And most importantly, you need to be prepared for the fact that the airport may be closed again in the coming months. A major eruption has not yet occurred and is about to occur.

Summary. Should I fly or not to Bali?

If you've read this article and still can't decide whether to fly to Bali or not, then I would say don't fly or plan a vacation to Bali in the coming months. Why so categorical? Because I think if you're confused by the idea of flying to an island with... active volcano, then why force yourself. If you feverishly check the news every day and think that something bad will happen on your trip, and you are also extremely afraid of eruptions and tsunamis, and will jump on the spot from every shock, then you should probably postpone your trip to Bali.

If you have read this article, you already have a ticket and you have the feeling that it is quite safe to fly to Bali, then I will support you on this - if I were you, I would not cancel any trips. Grab yourself a mask, check with your airline that they have not canceled flights and welcome to the island!

If you were thinking of flying to Bali in March-April and want to know whether it will be safe then, then I must disappoint you: it is not known when it will happen major eruption. Re-read the history of the 60s. There, eruptions occurred several weeks and months apart.

In general, guys, I have provided you with a huge amount of information about volcanoes and the situation with Agung. But I can't make a decision for you.

And finally. Helping local villages around the volcano

While we all (tourists and expats) are worrying in vain about the ash and toxicity of the volcano’s exhaust, the locals are already experiencing real trouble, who were quickly evacuated from their villages located on the slope of the volcano. Yes, it seems great that they were evacuated and their lives are not in danger. But now they are all in temporary tent camps, many have already been waiting for almost a week. They are waiting for something to happen and it becomes clear what will happen to them next. After all, for now they stupidly cannot return home and how long they will not be able to do so is also unclear.

These people will live in evacuation camps until the volcano erupts or the danger status is lifted. These people have a hard time, so against the backdrop of our problems, “should I cancel my vacation to Bali” - these are really real problems. Imagine, you were pulled out of your apartment, taken far away, given a mattress in the gym among crowds of others just like you said, wait for new orders.

The government and local NGOs are doing their best to collect donations and all kinds of help. From various sources I have seen information that at least people are more or less provided with mattresses and food, but you yourself understand how minimal this is. And how long will it last? We may have to wait a long time for the eruption.

In general, if you want to participate, there are guys like these who collect donations in an organized manner.

Well, or at least show respect for the grief of other people, stop panicking in the “what about my trip to Bali” mode. As I wrote above, if you have tickets in hand, study the information and make your informed decision. If there are no tickets, then perhaps you should wait for the situation to develop. Imagine, if an eruption does happen, the government would rather spend energy and money on the locals than on dealing with the panic of tourists and allocating ships-trains-parades to transport you from one island to another if they close airport.

PR service of BNPB (Ministry of Emergency Situations) on Twitter (constant updates):

Ah, Bali - Bali! The island is a fairy tale... The island is a dream... But since the beginning of August 2017, the tourist flow here has turned from rich to very narrow. Especially before the beginning of November. And the reason for this is the Agung volcano and its probable eruption.

Agung is a volcano that stands here on the island and periodically tickles the nerves of all local residents and tourists at the same time. The last time the Agung volcano tickled their people was about 54 years ago, and now it began to wake up again in August 2017. And for a second, this is not just a volcano. This is a super volcano! And this means that if he shy away, it won’t seem like much!

Who and what will not seem enough, how to behave on the island if it does start to erupt? And in general: is it dangerous to vacation in Bali in 2017-2018? In today’s article, first-hand, from an employee of our editorial office, who has been there for a month and has no plans to leave yet. 🙂

By the way, if you want to visit one of the volcanoes of Bali, then this can be done. — approx. editors.

Volcano Agung in Bali

Volcano Agung is translated from Indonesian as “big”. And it was right next to (only 50 km) from this dangerous colossus that we settled exactly 1.5 months ago. While still in Russia, we already heard that a large dangerous mountain began to wake up and could begin to erupt at any moment. When we found out about this, the tickets had already been purchased, and we decided not to change our plans, despite the danger.

In addition, this is not our first time on the island and we have already made several Russian friends who live here permanently. They told us that the danger only exists for people directly next to the volcano. This means that the situation is very local. The worst thing that can happen is that the airport will be closed. But even in this case, you can get here from the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, by water.

In general, after weighing all the pros and cons, we realized that we would go. The last few days before departure, we feverishly followed news from the media, realizing that journalists were forced to exaggerate everything. Today, news about Agung still keeps many Russians in suspense. But! First things first...

Volcano Agung has awakened

Agung has woken up! Like thunder among clear skies this news has been breaking out on the internet and radio since August 2017. I personally am still surprised - how did this information not end up on TV?! It is thanks to this that my mother still knows nothing about this and lives quietly in the Arctic Circle, unaware of the danger that roams 50 km from her beloved daughter. 🙂 But on the radio and on the Internet, journalists painted a very sad picture...

What do they say today the Agung volcano woke up and if anything happens, it won’t spare anyone! Someone, of course, was incredibly happy: “It’s too good for all those who go to Bali! Let them suffer too, bastards! :-)” Others got wildly scared and handed over their tickets, others decided to relax in a safer place, and others, like scumbags like us, packed their bags and went at their own risk. What, exactly, was the risk?

And here's what it is:

could close the airport, and for a long time. I would have to fuss with tickets and look for a way through the ferry from Jakarta - and this whole adventure is not very comfortable and very long.
The volcano can still really explode at any moment, and no one guarantees anything for sure. Well, that is, it will be hard not only for those in the affected area. The airport will be closed, there will be problems with the supply of food on the island, volcanic ash will fall on your head for some time... The real Silent Hill (those who are in the know understand).:)
and to the heap: toxic substances can spread through the water from the volcano throughout the island, and poisonous rain may well fall on the heads of locals and tourists... And then it will not be good for everyone! Not only for mountain residents...

“Beauty”... Isn't it?!

At least that’s how the situation was described in the media. Yes, the media, of course, likes to embellish everything, but damn... After all, no one can guarantee that everything will be completely wrong! 🙂 We understood this.

But upon arrival on the island we were met by a smiling Balinese who assured us that there was no danger. That Agung changed his mind about erupting and decided to fall asleep again... And like there is no real threat to tourists, and then in 1963, no one else really had cars or motorcycles - so people found themselves in a situation in which many died... They just didn’t fully believe that it would explode and, as a result, they didn’t have time to leave the affected area in time... Something like that!

He finally reassured us by saying that his family was living 4 km away right now. from the epicenter and there is no need to worry at all!

Of course, this encouraged us - I’ll say it straight away. But doubts still remained... Then we decided to go straight to the affected area and see the handsome man with our own eyes! So, Agung Volcano and the latest events in Bali - through the eyes of eyewitnesses :).

Latest news about Agung by the beginning of November

News about Agung on the Internet had already died down in early November. The latest dates back to mid-October. It was at this time that the young man and I went there. We waited for the full moon, since volcanologists were afraid that the greatest risk of an explosion would be during the full moon, so we got on the bike and rode off.

Locals told us that the most best view The view of the mountain opens from the neighboring super-volcano - Batur. Which, by the way, has been sleeping soundly for a long time, for the benefit of everyone. He is many times larger than Agung. And if Batur explodes, then the whole island could accidentally actually go under water... But the current news story is Agung in Bali today.

Journey to active Agung

News about the Agung volcano in Bali, as I already said, did not stop us from traveling straight to the affected area - that is, 9 km. from his mouth. On our way to meet the “scarer” of a million tourists, we met:

1. Gorgeous tangerine grove with fresh tangerines.

2. Stunning views of the neighboring mountains from Mount Batur.

3. Bush! Oh Gods, this bright bush.

Super, as always - beautiful road to the place and stunning views along the way. We took plenty of photos, filmed them on camera and headed directly to Agung.

UPD from November 28: Eruption of Mount Agung

And it would seem that everyone had already relaxed, but Agung still caused an eruption! To be honest, when I just sat down to write this article, local residents were already saying in unison that that was it - there would be no eruption. Just take it and start!

On November 21, just after we met my boyfriend’s mother, who came to visit us from Russia, Agung began to erupt. Just as ordered! 🙂 But I hasten to reassure all those suffering from blood and sensation: nothing terrible is happening yet.

The volcano stands still and slowly soars. This is the steam eruption of Agung. The only thing that really bothers tourists and local residents is a small flood. Due to the huge amount of hot evaporation, such a large-scale tropical rain fell on the island that they say that even slippers floated on the road! 🙂

Why do they say? Yes, because we ourselves are not in Bali now, but nearby on the Gili Islands. And today we even saw a small tornado over Bali from the island of Gili-Eir. I hope that in a couple of days before our arrival, this whole apocalypse will be over and we can safely move to Thailand! 🙂

Agung in Bali today

Agung's activity in August - September 2017 forced many local residents to seriously strain themselves. They regularly prayed to local spirits to put the dangerous mountain to sleep again. They held magnificent ceremonies in their temples. And it seems that their collective determination is bearing fruit. Volcano Agung - erupts only with steam. The ceremonies themselves are held in the following temples:

The eruption of Agung in Bali really does not cause serious damage to the island, just by some miracle!

That's probably why it's 3 km away. before the affected area, when we went to the volcano in October, some Balinese women stopped us, stuck rice on our foreheads, illuminated our bike, put some wooden beads around my neck, twirled around, whispered something and let me go with God further! 🙂

That's probably why it's 3 km away. before the destruction zone, some Balinese women stopped us, stuck rice on our foreheads, illuminated our bike, put some wooden beads around my neck, twirled around, whispered something and let us go on with God! 🙂

It didn’t seem to calm us down much, of course, but it became somehow easier... Both in our souls and in our pockets... So - like the priestesses of the island of dreams, naturally, they carried out the procedure for cleansing karma, well, not for free. Cleaning karma these days costs about 400 rubles with our money. Well, you must agree - life is more valuable! 🙂

Eruption of Mount Agung in 1963

On the way to Mount Agung, my husband and I, of course, once again discussed the history of 1963, when people (several hundred) actually suffered. Did they really pray to their Gods near the vent until the very end, hoping that he would change his mind?! Getting acquainted with the local mentality, we are increasingly coming to the conclusion that yes. And so it was. The local people honor their land, their home, precisely their place of birth. And it doesn’t matter to them even if this place is in such a dangerous zone.

The possible eruption of Agung in Bali does not prevent them from living ordinary life. The one that their ancestors lived. Here is an inscription that right now we are in the zone of defeat or exclusion, as it is also called:

But people who continue to fall asleep and wake up here... Take their children to school, work, have breakfast, lunch and dinner... Life goes on:

To this day, there is a forum about Agung in Bali, where people discuss whether it will explode or not. Many members of the island's VKontakte community also raise this topic. But recently, most have agreed that the danger has passed...

But, you know, when you stand so close to the mountain... The sensations are simply unimaginable...

I would have gone further, right there to the foot, but my young man turned out to be wiser and more prudent, however, as always :). We drove by and there was dessert waiting for us beautiful beach, which is also located in the exclusion zone. Its name is Virgin Beach. Here he is - handsome...

They say that the sand here used to be completely white. But after the Agung eruption in 1968, it mixed with volcanic lava and became like this - with black inclusions. But this is also wonderful... Soon I will write a big review of all the beaches of the island and, perhaps, I will give it honorable first place in the top of my heart :).

And here is the view of Volcano Agung from the entrance to the beach - Virgin Beach:

Conclusions about Agung in 2017

Agung on the map paradise island Bali is a thorn in the head of many tourists... This dangerous neighbor does not allow all residents from Karangasem to Ubud to sleep, he makes everyone remember and realize very well: life is just a journey, and we, the guests, are on this earth. No matter how important we may seem to ourselves big volcano, how Agung can suddenly intervene in everyone’s fate and disrupt that very “solid” tomorrow, cross out all our plans, tear all ideas, dreams and hopes to pieces...

For now, it just stands and releases powerful columns of steam, but not a single person could guarantee that the Agung eruption will stop... Anything can happen! Any time…

This is probably why the inhabitants of the island are closest to the life of Buddhists and all kinds of enlightened people. The main wisdom tells us: “the past has passed, the future has not yet come, there is only here and now...” And not a single force in the world guarantees any of us that we will live in this world for at least another minute... That is why, Balinese rejoice! Smile every day. They smile even during the funeral of their relatives. They don’t just smile, they sing and dance! 🙂

But somehow I completely went into philosophy... Let's get back to the facts:

Volcano Agung- steam is erupting right now. So far nothing serious is happening, but no one is giving any guarantees.

Authorities on the tourist island of Bali in Indonesia have raised the volcanic eruption threat to the highest level as Mount Agung continues to spew ash and smoke.

Volcanic mud flows descend along the slopes of the mountain.

According to Voice of America, authorities have expanded the danger zone around the volcano, in some places up to 10 kilometers. This means that up to 100 thousand people could end up in the evacuation zone.

National Disaster Mitigation Authority spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho warned local residents that lava, the molten rock erupted by volcanoes, "will certainly flow down the slopes."
Authorities say the noise from the volcano can be heard several kilometers away, and fire can be seen at its summit.
Volcanic ash forced authorities to close the island's airport on Monday night. 445 flights were canceled, disrupting the plans of 59 thousand people. Frustrated passengers say they received no advance notice.
At the same time, as reported Reuters, some passengers decided to take advantage of the situation and went to the observation deck to see the eruption.
The island of Bali is the main tourist destination Indonesia, it attracts about 5 million visitors a year for its Hindu culture, beaches and lush green vegetation.
Mount Agung began rumbling and spewing clouds of ash into the sky on Tuesday.
The Pacific Ring of Fire runs through Indonesia. This is an area of tectonic plate collisions that cause frequent volcanic and seismic activity.
The last time Mount Agung erupted was in 1963. Then more than a thousand people died because of him.
The highest eruption threat level also applies to Mount Sinabung on the island of Sumatra, which has been active since 2013.

Airport operations on the island of Bali have been suspended for almost a day due to the activity of the Agung volcano. As a result, more than 440 flights were canceled and about 60 thousand tourists were stranded on the island, media reported.

This is what the columns of ash ejected from the active Agung volcano look like. Bali, November 27, 2017. Photo: Reuters

Flights have been suspended due to the spread following the eruption of Mount Agung. A red warning has been declared in the region. It means that an eruption is imminent or that an eruption with a large release of volcanic ash into the atmosphere is already occurring.

The village, located near the Agung volcano, lives in its own rhythm. Bali, November 27, 2017. Photo: Reuters

Volcano Agung. Bali, November 27, 2017. Photo: Reuters

Passengers at the airport look at the departure board, which has changed after the activation of the Agung volcano. Bali, November 26, 2017. Photo: Reuters

On Monday, November 27, the threat level was raised to maximum. It is noted that ash columns rose to a height of 3.4 km. There's still a possibility powerful eruption. It is forbidden to approach the volcano at a distance closer than 8-10 km, reported at the Disaster Management Agency.

A tourist looks at volcanic ash columns. Bali, November 27, 2017. Photo: Reuters

Volcano Agung. Bali, November 25, 2017. Photo: Reuters

A Disaster Prevention Agency worker puts a protective mask on a child. Bali, November 27, 2017. Photo: Reuters

Authorities began distributing protective masks to the population when Mount Agung became active. Bali, November 27, 2017. Photo: Reuters

Already, about 40 thousand local residents whose houses are located near the volcano have been evacuated, and about 100 thousand more people are going to be evacuated due to the eruption of Mount Agung, AFP reports, citing representatives of the Indonesian Emergency Management Agency.

Embassy of Belarus in Indonesia

Illustration copyright AFP Image caption Smoke and ash rise to a height of 3400 meters above the summit of Mount Agung, flames burst out of the crater

People living near Mount Agung in Bali who were unable to leave their homes may be forced to evacuate, Indonesian authorities said.

Tens of thousands of people remain in the danger zone despite a "red warning" meaning an eruption is imminent or already occurring.

However, some locals believe it is safe to remain in the area, while others are afraid to leave their livestock unattended.

"Red Spot": flights to Bali suspended due to volcano
Tens of thousands of tourists are unable to fly from Bali due to the volcano

National Disaster Management Authority spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the evacuation zone was being combed for people who had not evacuated.

“Department employees go from house to house, finding out if there are residents who need to be forcibly evacuated,” he said.

The island's airport has been closed for the second day, preventing thousands of tourists from flying from the popular resort.

The area adjacent to the volcano is home to 100 thousand people. There is a danger that their houses may be under flows of burning lava and hot stones. On Monday, only 40 thousand people were evacuated.

The first manifestations of Agung volcanic activity were recorded in September.

Since last week, dark smoke and ash have been rising to 3,400 meters above the volcano's summit, with flames shooting out of the crater.

When can we expect an eruption?

The National Disaster Management Authority on Monday raised the volcanic eruption alert level to maximum. The department said in a statement that a large-scale eruption was virtually inevitable.

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Agung woke up: how are they coping with the volcanic eruption in Bali?

Plumes of ash rise into the air from the crater, the rumble and hum can be heard at a distance of 12 km.

"Fire flashes are most often seen at night. This phenomenon indicates that a large-scale volcanic eruption is imminent," Indonesia's National Disaster Management Authority said in a statement.

Geologist Mark Tingay from the University of Adelaide told the BBC that Agung's activity had entered a new phase, with glowing lava visible on the surface. However, he said, it is difficult to predict exactly when the eruption will begin.

Illustration copyright Reuters Image caption Roads and fields around the volcano are covered with ash

As the scientist noted, the Indonesian authorities have been preparing for the volcanic eruption for several months, and the situation is completely under control.

How do the locals cope?authorities?

The authorities expanded the evacuation zone to a 10 km radius and ordered everyone to leave this zone.

According to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, some people living in the evacuation zone are not leaving their homes because their homes were not damaged during the last eruption 50 years ago.

There are also those who worry about livestock. Local Komang Gede told AFP: "We will go to the evacuation centers in the afternoon because we need to feed the cattle in the morning."

Cold lava is also a danger to people - streams of water mixed with stones and clay that flow down the slopes of Agung. Such mudflows are a common harbinger of eruptions.

Illustration copyright BBC Indonesia Image caption Cold mudflows (lahars) coming from the top of the volcano carry stones with them

The first time the volcanic eruption danger level was raised to maximum was in September, when high volcanic activity was recorded

Some evacuated residents returned home in October after the threat level was lowered.

According to local authorities, due to the mass evacuation, the island’s economy has already lost $100 million in tourism revenue.

Should tourists worry?

According to Rostourism, there are currently about 300 Russian tourists. The Foreign Ministry said that before the airport opens, they will be transported by ferries to neighboring islands.

Russian citizens whose permitted period of stay is ending tourist visa, can extend it for 7 days at Ngurah Rai airport upon presentation of a passport and air ticket, reports the Russian embassy in Indonesia