Tourists are stuck at Bali but erupting Mt Agung has a deeper significance

A month ago, people close to Mt Agung were told to evacuate, but they gradually drifted back to their homes and livelihoods

According to international media coverage, the main problem with Gunung Agung’s eruption is that the airport is closed and tourists cannot get in or out.

The people of East Bali are largely invisible in these reports, but they too are worried about getting home. While they are well aware of the physical danger, for them, the mountain also represents spiritual elevation and power. It embodies a god and its rumbles are a sign of the god’s displeasure.

While Balinese are nominally Hindu, their most immediate spiritual relationships are with their ancestors and a host of