Desperate tourists pile on buses, ferries to escape Bali

WITH the airport closed, there is now a dash to get out via the only route home. But it’s a long trip.

Experts say a larger, explosive eruption is possible at Bali’s Mount Agung. Picture: AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka

HUNDREDS of tourists on a mad rush to leave Bali are taking hours-long journeys by road and sea to East Java as Denpasar’s international airport remains closed for a third day due to the erupting Mount Agung.

Desperate holiday-makers, including many Australians, are taking a 13-hour bus ride and a ferry to Surabaya, Indonesia’s second biggest city, in the hope of catching flights home as a dangerous ash cloud forces another day of cancelled flights on Bali.

The international airport on nearby Lombok island has also faced closures but the airport at Surabaya is operating.

It is the most viable escape plan for the estimated 120,000 tourists stranded on Bali.

Management of @baliairports land transportation service to Mengwi Bus Station and Padang Bai Seaport for free. The Ministry of Transportation Republic of Indonesia also provide direct bus to Juanda International Airport of Surabaya which is charged for Rp 300.000/pax. pic.twitter.com/K4XKhEdosS

— I Gusti Ngurah Rai (@baliairports) November 28, 2017

Here's howto get to Bali if Lombok is not an option. Get to Surabhaya, from there taxi to train station, if no tickets car to Ketapang ferry station (7hrs) then ferry, then cab to wherever in Bali. Doable , just need to do without sleep . 19 he journey has taken almost 60

— Iqbal V Gandham (@IqbalGandham) November 28, 2017

Indonesia’s Directorate General of Land Transportation said on Tuesday 100 buses were deployed to Bali’s international airport and to ferry terminals to collect stranded tourists.

Those tourists could then be taken to Surabaya or Jakarta.

The agency’s chief, named Budi, said major ferry crossing points were told to prepare for a surge in passengers and vehicles.

Tourists have taken to social media to show the cramped conditions inside the buses and boats.

17 hours journey from Bali to Surabaya via car and ferry 😭 Need sleep now before my flight back to kl tomorrow wanna go home soooo bad 😩😩😩

— AdlinaNdrh (@AdlinaNdrh) November 28, 2017

Able to escape Mt Agung ‘s wrath. Finally made it to Surabayda Airport after a whole day of travel from Bali. 4 hours by bus from Denpasar to Gilimanuk, an hour in ferry from Gilimanuk to Banyuwanggi, and finally more than 8hours of land trip from Ketapang to Surabayda. #bali

— Krislin D. Daruca (@krizziedee) November 28, 2017

Now at Bali Airport, domestic terminal waiting for the bus to Surabaya. You have to register yourself and they will call your name. Not sure how efficient that would be considering the number of stranded passengers. Bus ticket: Rp300K per person. pic.twitter.com/JAt4OtG6Cl

— Haaziq Zahar (@haaziq_mz) November 28, 2017

One report said travellers were being charged about 300,000 Indonesian rupiah, or $29, for the bus ride.

Jakob Aungiers tweeted the cramped buses made passengers feel like they were “kept like cattle”.

“Cramped bus conditions, no representatives and only drivers who don’t speak English and we have to PAY for this privilege to get transferred to Surabaya Airport!”

He continued: “Confusion after 17hrs coach travel from Bali to Surabaya we arrive at 2am to no officials, and with AirAsia refusing to answer all their comms channels there’s a lot of people here who have not received a rebooking confirmation and have no idea if they’re on tomorrow’s flights?!”

Buses to Surabaya crammed standing full and like a greenhouse! We're being kept like cattle with no officials helping and our airlines not caring! #Bali #Agung #Balivolcano #airasia #replacementbusservicetohell pic.twitter.com/2BAQCE1Q3P

— Jakob Aungiers (@JakobAungiers) November 28, 2017

We are on a ferry to Bali with stranded tourists from the neighbouring Lombok and Gili. Now able to see Mount Agung https://t.co/2FD6VHZ1a1

— Leisha Santorelli (@BBCLeisha) November 28, 2017

Volcanic ash from Mount Agung, which has been recorded at the airport in Denpasar, saw more than 440 flights cancelled on Monday, and another 440 flights cancelled on Tuesday, affecting nearly 60,000 inbound and outbound travellers.

On Wednesday, Denpasar airport officials said it would be closed for another day as the volcanic ash cloud continues to pose a danger to aircraft engines.

Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Qantas cancelled their flights in and out of Bali on Wednesday.

“Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport will remain closed until at least Thursday morning,” airport spokesman Arie Ahsanurrohim told AFP.

Passengers gather at Denpasar Airport to organise ways home after flights were grounded. Picture: AFP/Yuda A Riyanto

Some 120,000 tourists are stranded as a result of the cancellations.

Passengers have been given the option of flying to other destinations including Phuket, Singapore, Fiji or Tokyo.

Lava is welling in the crater of Mount Agung, which has been spewing dangerous volcanic ash for days, but experts can’t predict what will happen next.

Experts said a larger, explosive eruption is possible — or the volcano could keep rumbling at its present state for weeks.

Authorities on Bali have raised the alert for Mount Agung to its highest level and already cleared about 100,000 living within 10km of the volcano.

Clouds of ash rise from the Mount Agung volcano on Tuesday. Picture: AP/Firdia Lisnawati

“If it got much worse, it would be really hard to think of. You’ve got a huge population centre, nearly a million people in Denpasar and surroundings, and it’s very difficult to envision moving those people further away,” said Richard Arculus, a volcano expert at Australian National University, adding that an 1843 eruption by Mount Agung was even more explosive than its most recent one in 1963.

“There are many examples in history where you have this kind of seismic build-up — steam ejections of a little bit of ash, growing eruptions of ash to a full-scale stratosphere-reaching column of ash, which can presage a major volcanic event,” he said.

Flows of volcanic mud have been spotted on Agung’s slopes, and Arculus warned more are possible since it’s the rainy season on Bali.

“They’re not making a lot of noise. It’s just suddenly coming like a flash flood out of nowhere,” he said. “You do not want to be near them. Stay out of the valleys.”