Bali: Part two: Mount Batur...Wild Monkeys at Sunrise

We awoke at 2am feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement as we set off into the silent night and arrived at the foot of the active, 1,717m high volcano named Mount Batur. With torches in hand we followed our local guides ready to begin our 2 hour ascent of the ominous looking mountain.The trek was steep but it was so surreal when we paused to catch our breath and glance back down to see a steady trail of bobbing lights moving up the mountain as other climbers followed us. Once at the top we had about an hour's wait for the sun to rise and I experimented taking some fun photos of the light trails from the towns and streets far below in the darkness.The sunrise itself was really breathtaking and constantly changing as thick mists ebbed across the horizon and obscured the sun.As the mists eventually cleared we realised that us humans were not the only animals enjoying the views as a band of wild monkeys appeared out of the trees and bushes. They were wary but curious and not at all hesitant to grab offerings of banana and buttered bread from squealing tourists!