Sunrise in Bali - Across the Pond Trilogy (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

“Perfect,”
she thought.

    It
was still only 7 am when Jenny cast her gaze over the rest of the
group. Andy and Eno were nowhere to be seen, Miley was still
recovering from the climb while seemingly enchanted by the morning
light, and Andrew, Mark, and Sarah were taking it in turns to
photograph the other two with the mountains and rising sun as a
backdrop. No-one seemed to have noticed her and Henry, who was now
crouching about 30 meters away on a rocky outcrop with his camera.
She wanted to walk over to him and talk, but refused to break the
moment.

    Instead,
she turned towards a small cabin-like building behind the platform,
where Andy, Eno, and Wayan were gathered. They each sat with coffee
in hand, purchased from a small kitchen in the corner, looking over a
map of the region. Andy seemed to be giving Eno some re-assurance
that the rest of the days climb wasn't quite so taxing. He looked up
at Jenny and asked her what she thought. “It was...amazing,” she
said, lost in a daydream.

    “ Excellent,
that's what everyone says,” although Jenny suspected her experience
had been slightly different. “Righto, I reckon it's time to get
cracking. Jen, honey, would you go and get the other guys to come in
here for a quick briefing?”

    Jenny
wandered back outside and gestured to the group to come into the
cabin. By this point, Henry had joined the others for their group
photo session, although he seemed to prefer it behind the camera. He
took one more snap before they all turned to rejoin the rest of the
group. Andy then explained that there were two options: to go
straight down the other side of the mountain from the platform, or to
continue up to the top and take a look around the crater first. What
Jenny hadn't quite realized was that Mt Batur was actually a dormant
volcano, not a mountain.

    As
expected, the latter got a general round of approval from most, while
Eno and Miley took up the former option. Andy was to lead those two
straight down for an early lunch, while Wayan would chaperone the
rest up and around the crater. With a quick goodbye, the groups
parted, all now one layer lighter given the warm morning sun.

    For
the next couple of hours the younger, “varsity team”, as Sarah
joked, explored their way to the summit of the volcano, navigating a
somewhat treacherous path around the crater as they went. With an
almost sheer edge on one side, a single misstep could have proved
fatal, something not lost on Mark who was having a bit of trouble
with the grip of his shoes.

    After
a few near misses, the group came across a small hut at the top of
mountain, inhabited by an elderly woman and what appeared to be her
daughter. They seemed to be up there selling souvenirs, such as
postcards, but Jenny wondered how they could possibly make any money
doing so, given the dearth of tourists she had seen. “Perhaps it's
busier later in the day,” she thought.

    Following
a brief water stop and photo session, the group began their stretch
down the mountain. After a quick word with Wayan, Henry bounded off
to the front and started making quick progress, hopping over rocks,
and dancing his was down the track like a mountain goat.

    “ Yeah,
he loves to be at the front,” Mark pointed out, upon seeing Jenny's
quizzical look. It appeared Wayan had given him the go ahead to
stretch his legs, and he didn't look to want to waste it. “See's
himself as a bit of an 'action man' I guess,” continued Mark, “not
one for plodding along.”

    As
Henry gracefully took the lead, the rest followed suit, albeit at a
more sedate pace. One loose rock could easily result in a broken
ankle, so the rest of the group were a little more circumspect in
their descent. Soon, Henry was almost out of sight, several hundred
meters below and approaching a wooded section of the trail.

    By
the time the others reached the woods, Henry had found a lovely
vantage point looking down towards the valley below through a clasp
of trees. He sat on a rock,