Agung Mountain Bali

Volcanoes erupted and created Bali.









It's a nub in the Pacific Ocean, only 6000 square kilometers, yet fertile volcanic soil allows several rice harvests per year and supports a dense population, over 3 million people.








We rented a jeep and set out to find out what else lay beyond the surfing and seediness of Kuta.









Narrow roads, the island highways, wind through a lush landscape of hillsides covered by intricate rice terraces, swaying palms, and rioting vegetation.









Tall pillars, carved with Hindu motifs, mark the beginnings and ends of villages along the road.









The houses almost touch the ashpalt, red shingled eaves overhang the place where sidewalks would be if there were any; people, animals, and everything else uses the road as if they're pathways, nevermind the speeding vehicles that race and hoot as they pass. Life fights for space on this island, it's a full time job to secure breathing room.