Telkomsel, the biggest wireless provider in Indonesia, knows this really well and will spam you mercilessly on behalf of a million different senders (Samsung, banks, Rexona, easycash, you name it) that cannot be blocked because they are sent without an associated number. Theoretically you can stop them by texting STOP… one by one… to a paid number -_-

Previously you could stop them from generating a notification but they would still clutter your messages app, making it unusable.

The next section was running up a paved road that was likely much steeper than it looked because it was tiring AF.
And the final stretch, running through tropical forest/farm dirt roads, where much of the produce of Bali is grown.

Finally I arrived at the finish line, exhausted but still running as fast as I could. At that time I felt undiluted euphoria.

A little after, I received the finisher medal and Nadya was waiting for me. Even more euphoria.

Going up the hill on the first picture, even though it's not as high as Mt. Batur summit, can be hellish due to the volcanic sand being so loose. Basically it feels like for every step up, you slide two steps back... 🥵

But, going down a sandy slope is SO. MUCH. FUN 🤩
Seriously. It is the IRL version of running down a slope on Mario Bros. 3 at max speed. The athletic theme was playing in my brain the entire time. You can go SO fast and it feels effortless.