The Ash That Has Paralyzed Bali

On Monday, Mt Agung continued to spew volcanic materials that incapacitated air travel to and from Bali.

Kompas/Ayu Sulistyowati

People watch volcanic sludge flowing in Tukad Unda Klungkung regency on Monday (27/11), following the Mount Agung eruption in Karangasem, Bali. Volcanic sludge flowed as far as 12 kilometers from the mountain’s crater.

Usually, it takes only one hour to travel from Surabaya to Bali. Now, visitors must endure 15 hours to get to the Island of the Gods. Mt Agung’s volcanic ash has completely incapacitated Bali’s normally busy air transportation routes.

Firman had been sitting for three hours on the bus that would take him from Surabaya to Denpasar. However, the bus had yet to depart Pasuruan, East Java. Firman was exhausted, but there was nothing he could do. He said he was resigned to his bad luck. “The bus conductor said that we would probably arrive in Bali on Tuesday morning. We left [Surabaya] on Monday at 2:30 p.m.,” he said.