Editor's note: What I'm hearing from those with work conference in Bali this week. Those with flights cancelled are pretty glad they aren't there for the current Bali exit travel dilemma. Yesterday, 13 hour trips Bali-Surabaya reported for some, including leaving 5pm and arriving this morning. By last night, those leaving also included family members of those accompanying those on conference, and the staffers are leaving today. There are also full corporate teams told to stay put (I guess abiding by travel advisory such as below) and some have most staff stay and some leaving; these are going by how far their location at Nusa Dua is from the volcano and citing historic stats. Before dinner time yesterday, as more conference-goers talked about decision for full teams to pull out, the pace of similar decisions likely picked up. Highly anecdotal - more of those on my Whatsapp chats seem to be planning exit, and fewer adamant on staying due to their safe distance from the volcano.  Also, insurance may not cover. Report is that 300  participants remain at RSPO RT15. Versus 800 participants at RSPO RT14 last year (AOMG report, http://aomg.org.my/index.php/2014-03-22-08-56-36/news-updates/76-rt14-2016-bangkok-8-10-november-2016). 
(Updated 11am for travel news and MAGMA Indonesia links, 2pm for NASA posting and suggestion from someone at RSPO RT15 how to GET IN)

About exit travel, Bali to Surabaya, http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/desperate-tourists-pile-on-buses-ferries-to-escape-bali/news-story/eb1e5b1c2af4849fc99cf093497b90c2

About inbound travel, to Bali: [13:55, 11/29/2017] From someone at RSPO RT15: A more efficient travel option has been used by 2 delegates that came in after Bali airport closure. JKT to Banyuwangi, ferry and then road. Shorter by 7hrs vs Surabaya. (This can be useful for outbound; but one reader says flights may be full)

MAGMA Indonesia, official public service info channel
https://twitter.com/id_magma?
https://twitter.com/id_magma?lang=en

NASA comment: Also notice that by November 28, the SO2 plume directly over the volcano appears to have decreased. “It is definitely normal that it should fluctuate a bit,” said Janine Krippner, a volcanologist at the University of Pittsburgh. “But the volcano is definitely not winding down at this point.” She also notes that the concern now is that there is a clear pathway through which lava can travel to the surface. An “open system” like this one led to deadly lava flows during the volcano’s last major eruption in 1963... According to a report by the Jarkata Globe, about 100,000 people live on the volcano’s slopes but less than half have evacuated. The eruption has also led to airport closures and the cancelation of hundreds of flights. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=91329&src=twitter-nh

"A number of Australian insurers have issued statements telling customers they would only be covered if they bought policies up to nine weeks ago — before the Indonesian government issued an alert on the volcano. Some have stipulated a cut-off coverage date of September 22, which was when the Indonesian volcano alert was first raised to level four, suggesting an eruption was imminent." https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/bali-volcano-australian-students-abandoned-by-insurance-companies/news-story/1f3547eda556ae6d010fa034296b10ac

INTERNATIONAL SOS AND CONTROL RISKS BALI TRAVEL ALERT 27 NOVEMBER 2017 ,  — Bali; Those currently in Bali or Lombok do not need to leave. However, abide by all directives issued by the authorities, including staying out of the designated exclusion zone and deferring travel to the volcano.
https://www.internationalsos.com/newsroom/news-releases/international-sos-and-control-risks-bali-travel-alert-nov-27-2017


#MountAgung #Bali #RSPO #RT15