Gunung Batukau Area

Before leaving northern Bali, we hired a driver to explore the Gunung Batukan area with our 4 friends. Driving on narrow, twisting roads, we started our sightseeing drive toward Jatiluwih Rice Fields, where century old rice terraces bring many photograph-avid tourists. There is even a road toll for visitors and marked signs to a walk around the rice paddies. Nonetheless, it was a very rewarding stop, with endless shades of green on the horizon and peaceful enough surroundings. The short walk followed the stream as it runs through channels and bamboo pipes to irrigate the fields. We paused for lunch at a simple café overlooking the terraces, a great excuse to linger in the area!

Rice, rice, and more rice!

Happy couple

Did you say green?

After lunch, we explored one of Bali’s holiest temples, Pura Luhur Batukau, dedicated to the mountain spirit Maha Dewa. We had to wear the traditional sarongs and respect the many local devouts and their undergoing ceremonies. The temple is surrounded by forest which gives it a cool and misty atmosphere. Overall, I must admit I find Balinese temples quite underwhelming, the old mossy stones leave me slightly indifferent, especially compared to the bright richness displayed in Thai temples. It was a pleasant stroll, though, and being able to observe locals in their prayers was very serene.

Pura Luhur Batukau Temple

Very... interesting rules!

Holy water fountain

It was definitely a great detour to visit the Gunung Batukau Area, which is often overlooked by tourists, and sharing the cost for a private driver made it very affordable too!

Munduk

Our taxi ride was filled with laughter – two of our friends were literally in the trunk, holding our bags when we took sharp turns. It took about three hours to go from Batur in the central mountains, to Munduk in North Bali, but we made many stops to admire the valley and misty crater lakes on the way. Upon arrival, we stopped in a shop to ask about hotels, and got told they had rooms above the shop. We didn’t expect much, but to our surprise, we climbed the stairs to find two brand new rooms with lovely wooden floor and plush beds. Such hidden luxury! Furthermore, although the shop front was on the main road, our balcony had amazing views of the green mountains of Munduk! This lucky find was going to be a true blessing. Our hosts, Iluh and Nyoman, would become true friends over the next couple of days.

North Bali has so much to offer in terms of sightseeing

The simple village of Munduk is one of Bali’s ‘most appealing mountain retreats’ according to the Lonely Planet. The next morning, Iluh and her husband drove us to the nearest town for us to use the ATM. Little did we know it would take more than 30 minutes to drive there! They showed us around the local market and Iluh bought a ton of fresh fruits for us, refusing any money towards it (we sneaked in a small extra when we settled the bill). They drove us to our friends’ hotel where we had arranged to explore the area on foot with them, in a walking tour.

 

Delicious locally grown fruits bought at the local market

The trekking started in narrow paths leading to waterfalls, amongst giant bamboo trees and cacao plantations. The strong smell of cloves is ever-present in Munduk, one of the main production in the area. Skinny, tall ladders take locals to the top of the tree, where they pick the clove fruits and drop them into huge cloth bags. They are then laid in the sun on mats and dried. We walked in the forest for a few hours until reaching town again, on time for a lunch break. The second part of our walk went through rice paddies, small villages and farms, taking about an hour and a half.

Cloves at various stage of drying

Waterfall

Farmer's paradise - Rice field

Unfortunately, Chris had to return to the hotel with nausea and stomach cramps. Upon my return, I saw that Iluh had done more than enough to help him out, giving him medicinal herbal tea and red rice porridge to settle his stomach. What an angel! She kept checking up on him and offering help.

 

Chris with herbal tea and rice porridge for his stomach - notice the view from our balcony

The only realistic way to explore the area is with your own transport and being six of us, it was very affordable to rent a private taxi. We chose to follow the group when they were ready to go back down South, but it might be one of our only regret in Bali. We could have stayed in Munduk a lot longer, enjoying Iluh and Nyoman’s company and getting to know the local customs more.

With Iluh, Nyoman and their son

Cockfighting

Our driver who took us from Batur to Munduk was very laid-back and suggested lovely sightseeing stops. We went to stunning viewpoints of various lakes, mountains and countryside settings as we drove up towards the North of Bali. During one of the stops, we heard excited locals shouting and saw them standing around in a big circle. Our driver told us it was a cockfighting event and encouraged us to watch. Since living in Asia, I was made aware of this brutal sport which is extremely popular and taken very seriously by locals. I have always avoided such attractions as I found them to be (obviously) very cruel. But that day I was feeling adventurous, and I also knew very well that whether I watched or not, the cruelty would go on, so I gave in to my curiosity. It was an impromptu stop and in no way I would have paid to attend and encourage such an event.

We arrived while around thirty men were placing their bets and cock owners displayed their beast to the crowd. They were waving 50 000 – 100 000 rupiahs notes, considerable amounts for the countryside. We also quickly noticed there weren’t any women around the ring, so we made sure for a male friend to ask whether our presence was acceptable or not. Locals quickly nodded their approval, uninterested by us. A quick look around got me to notice the women gathered further away and looking at us disapprovingly – we clearly weren’t exhibiting high morals. We got asked to bet for a rooster but got away with refusing to do so. Frantic betting took place as men called out amounts and the name of the rooster they rooted for.

All of a sudden, the crowd got very quiet and I immediately got goosebumps and felt unease. Two men stood facing each other with their roosters. While holding their birds, they started provoking them by pinching their necks, pulling their feathers and taunting each other by bringing their faces close together. This part was very brutal and made me feel extremely uneasy. They did this for a long while to get their roosters excited, angry and ready to attack. Another exceptionally shocking particularity about cockfighting in Bali is the addition of metal spikes – knives really, taped to the bird’s feet, as an extra spur. Indeed, the winner of the fight is the cock who survives. Apparently in other areas such as Java, the rules differ. For example, the winner could be the one that doesn’t run away.

The actual fight took less than a minute. The addition of knives sure made things quick. I barely saw what happened, only that one rooster fell to the ground and despite his coach trying to put it back on his feet, he collapsed. The fallen cock was immediately taken aside to cut his neck and that was it. Needless to say we did not stay for a second fight – we had seen enough. Cockfighting is part of Balinese Hinduism and the blood shed during the event is supposedly used in offerings to the evil spirits. I do know roosters possess natural aggression towards one another so it is somewhat natural for them to fight, but the whole thing is brutal and I hope that as South-East Asia grows and evolves so the age-old practice starts to die. However, I suppose that eating the deceased bird is better than wasting it and makes the whole thing easier to accept.

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Being a woman and feeling already out of place, I didn’t dare take my camera out. Here is a link to incredible pictures of cockfighting in Bali, if you are as curious as I was: https://www.flickr.com/photos/adamcohn/sets/72157624202670972/

I also found out that ‘in the Balinese language the word for cock has the same double meaning as it has in English, giving rise to the same stale locker-room jokes. The Indonesian word for cock (sabung) can also mean champion, warrior, or hero.’

Mount Batur

Straight from the beginning, there was a bad vibe set by our driver, who didn’t want to discuss or look at the location of our hotel on the map. We left our beautiful hotel in Ubud at 11 on a mini-bus for Kintamani, a small town near Mount Batur, the famous volcano. Very quickly, we understood that the driver would drop us where he wanted and nowhere else, and we would have to fend for ourselves. No biggy – we had done this in Java multiple times.

Gunung Batur is a 1717m high volcano in the central mountains of Bali. There is a well-recorded mafia that runs tours to the top of the crater at sunrise every day. Exploring solo is therefore impossible. There are even reports of threats towards people attempting the climb unaccompanied. The tourists that come to the area generally only do so to trek up the volcano and don’t spend the night, which could explain the lack of motivation from locals to make an effort to treat visitors nicely since most come and go in the same day.

After being abandoned in Kintamani by our driver (who didn’t leave without offering to drive us down to the lake for a considerable extra fee), we dodged many street vendors and stopped to take in the view across to Batur and down the lake at the bottom of the crater: priceless! We waited for a local bemo and, after heavy negotiations, got a ride down the road to Danau Batur Lake, into the village of Toya Bungkah.

You can't ask for a much better view!

Vegetable fields and mountains

There, we were welcomed by a serene lakeside setting and verdant vegetable plantations. Our hotel was rightfully called Under the Volcano and seemed lost in the middle of nowhere, as were we! There isn’t much to do around the area, except walk around the lake and take in the scene of locals harvesting their vegetables: chili, tomato, garlic, cabbage… we sure would have some healthy meals in the region! We booked our sunrise trek for the next morning (from very pushy locals who couldn’t quite explain the difference between each price option) and started getting excited about our upcoming adventure!

Fisherman

Village of Toya Bungkah

The alarm rang at 3am for us to get dressed with our warmest clothes. We wore our trekking boots and brought a head-torch and water. At 3:45, we started climbing the steep trail in the forest on ashy roads, changing to crumbling rocks and steep cliffs. Lucky our guide provided a flashlight too, as only one torch between us two would not have been sufficient. It was hard walking on the loose volcanic rocks and climbing to the steep summit, but our training lately made us enjoy the workout rather than struggle. In fact, our guide kept suggesting breaks and we had to ask him to keep going, especially once the sky started turning red – there was no way we would miss the sunrise for a worn-out guide! At that point, we kept taking layers of clothes off and I was thinking I could have gone without the warm sweater, but it quickly changed once we reached the top.

Sunrise on top of Mount Batur

Strong, cold wind blew through me and the shivers started as my skin was damp from the sweat of the two hour climb. After a few too many snaps of the sun rising and our proud faces, we sat in the little shelter to hide from the wind. Our guide gave us breakfast which he cooked in the hot volcanic steam: warm banana sandwiches and hard-boiled eggs! It was much needed fuel for the other half of our journey.

Worth getting up at 3am for!

Unique way of cooking bananas and eggs!

Feeling completely frozen, it was time to start moving again. We first went to explore the steam vents which are used to cook the trekker’s breakfast and warmed ourselves with the steam – bliss! We started our descent, taking the magnificent views of the different craters and volcanic ash remains. The volcano has been quite active since its first eruption in 1917, the latest one being in 2001! Going down was much harder than the climb, especially difficult on our knees. We nearly lost our balance a few times, sliding on the volcanic sand. As the sun slowly came up, warming our bodies, we started enjoying the walk more and appreciating the surroundings. There are a couple of sacred Hindu temples, one nestled in the mountain and another inside a cave which were interesting to see. Another area is populated by Balinese macaques, as cheeky as the ones we saw in Ubud. One even stole my water bottle, pierced it with his teeth, and drank the water from it!

Smiling despite the cold

Monkey either ruining or making the picture!

Although Batur has developed a ‘well-deserved reputation as a money-grubbing place’, we did enjoy our trek very much and the beautiful area around Danau Batur Lake. Some locals were quite friendly and seemed honest enough. We would have stayed a second night but we met fellow travelers who wanted to make the journey up North with us and sharing a taxi was a very sensible option. Around noon after our trek, the six of us squeezed in a Land rover for our journey to Danau Bratan, ascending to the misty mountain countryside of North Bali. 

Ubud

Ubud is a vibrant city with colourful artisan shops, interesting cafes and cultural interest. It is also surrounded by rice fields which make it a great stop. Despite having been super commercialised since the famous Eat Pray Love book and following blockbuster movie, it was still a pleasant area to explore. Traditional dance shows are on offer at night in the many small temples and multiple tours can be arranged to visit the rice terraces.

Ganesh and offerings

We went to an excellent guesthouse in Central Ubud called Padma Accommodation. Our private Balinese style bungalow was only a few months old and decorated with local crafts. We were amazed at the size and quality of the room, for only 250,000 rupiahs a night.

Our own private outside area at Padma Accomodation

Inside our room

We spent a great afternoon at MandalaWisata Wanara Wana (!) commonly known as the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, a dense forest populated by Balinese macaques who greedily accept or steal tourists’ snacks, water bottles and more. Despite the extreme tourism and at times unnatural behaviour of the monkeys, the thick jungle surrounding, old temples scattered around and mystique figures carved in stones make it all very worth-while. It was fascinating to observe the monkey’s behaviour, from grooming one another to playing with rocks and digging the soil or breaking leaves with them.

Comfortable?

Interesting fact: they all ate their bananas as if it was a corn on the cob, throwing away the centre!

Family time

Inviting!

Most restaurants along the busy streets of Raya Ubud and Monkey Forest are overpriced and crowded, but interesting art boutiques and galleries can be found with paintings, jewelry, batik, wood-carving and other souvenirs which make browsing and wandering the more appealing. Gamelan music (traditional Balinese music of xylophone, gongs and drums) is very hypnotic and peaceful and can be heard everywhere in Ubud, played live in shops and temples alike.

Local market

Water lily garden in the centre of town

We did a walk around Ubud in the rice paddies, following a suggested trail by our host at the hotel. It was a nice stroll in the surrounding fields and green mountains. Half way, we stopped at a beautiful restaurant for lunch which was set in the middle of a huge garden overlooking the rice terraces. We finished our trek in the hills following the road back to the city, under the hot Balinese sun.

Rice fields in Ubud

Green, green, green!

The Gili Islands

If there is a name that evokes paradise in Indonesia, it sure is Gili. The three sister islands sit in the turquoise waters of Lombok, fringed by white-sand beaches. Despite their popularity, the islands still remain tranquil and laid-back, with unique character and charm. There are no motorized vehicles on the Gilis and your two choices of transportation are horse and cart or bicycles. True to ourselves, we preferred to walk everywhere which made for great exploration.

Gili Islands... unbelievable!

Gili Air

We decided to stay on Gili Air, the middle island in size. Snorkelling was terrific right from the beach and on our first go, we saw a big sea turtle which we were lucky enough to follow for over half an hour – what a treat! Plenty restaurants dot the sandy beach with cushions and low tables to enjoy the view, from simple warungs to modern-ish venues. At night, Gili Air was very mellow, with a few places offering ‘tickets to the moon’ with magic mushrooms and trance music. We failed to see any sign of partying, however, but given we were in bed around 11 every night we might have intentionally missed the nightlife action. Local food is excellent and great value, people are friendly, and the island is big enough to keep discovering it over and over again.

Lunch, sea and sand 

Leave your bikes for a beach stroll

Gili Meno

After a few days exploring our own little peaceful isle, we decided to venture out with the public boat and visit the fellow Gilis. The smallest one is Meno, whose Turtle Sanctuary and empty beaches made for a perfect lazy day. We explored on foot and snorkeled in the perfectly transparent sea. We settled at a shabby tiki bar, rented our snorkels, sipped our mango shakes and took turn exploring the reef. I wouldn’t want to stay on Meno more than a day or two, but any Robinson Crusoe wannabe would disagree. As one diving instructor put it when we asked her for a street map: ‘Isn’t the island small enough for you?’.

Gili Meno - deserted much?

Mie goreng and snorkelling - this is the life!

Gili Trawangan

Gili T is quickly becoming Indonesia’s prime holiday spot. Luxurious hotels and trendy lounges can be found on the biggest of the Gilis. With legendary parties and renowned diving, it is no wonder Trawangan is so popular. We went there for a day, taking the public boat, and found that daily life doesn’t seem to be as hectic and touristy as we expected, although a bit more glitzy than the other two Gilis. Of course, a lot more restaurants and dive shops adorn the beach front, but the vibe remains chilled. I assume this would change at night: the local boat left at 4:30 and already a few heavy beats started emerging for the bars. During our walk around the island, we did spot some fantastic resorts which seemed perfectly set-up for honeymoons or fancy holidays, removed from the main drag.

Romantic much?

We had an amazing time soaking up the sun and bohemian character of the Gilis. Wild-haired island kids roam around the sandy streets, their laughs and cries echoing wherever you go. Bells from the horse and cart jingle like Santa’s sleigh would, warning you to move aside. Roosters cock-a-doodle while hens protectively gather their chicks. Dust sticks to your feet as you ‘jalan-jalan’ (wander around) the small alleys. Locals call you brother and sister, shake your hand and invite you to sit and chat. I can confirm it, the Gilis are truly magical.

Unforgettable Gilis

Lembongan Islands

Lonely Planet calls it the ‘the Bali many imagine but never find’. Clearly, the secret's out thanks to the famous guide book, but we decided to give it a shot anyway. Nusa Lembongan is a remarkably mellow island southeast of Bali, which main industries are seaweed cultivation and, thanks to The Book, tourism. Simple rooms and restaurants on the beach, uneven back roads, incredible sunsets and laidback locals make Lembongan an amazing little spot. Experienced surfers come for the challenging breaks and snorkeling is popular for obvious reasons: manta rays and turtles are casually spotted in the clear waters surrounding the island.  Despite a few other visitors, the relaxed vibe and authenticity remains.

Lembongan's stunning waters

We settled in a modest home stay on Jungutbatu, the lovely arc of beach we got dropped on. On our first day, we decided to explore the West coast of the island in a pleasant walk along the coast. Although many choose to rent a motorbike, the land to cover is small enough to make walking pleasant. The marked trail followed the coastline next to the funky upscale bars and resorts with stunning sea views amongst blooming bougainvilleas and frangipani trees, then changed into a rugged path hugging hidden bays and small beaches for kilometers. We reached our destination, Mushroom Bay Beach, a white crescent of sand somewhat disturbed by day-trippers and their boats. After a lazy lunch, we walked back to one of the quieter bays we had stumbled upon earlier and enjoyed a pleasant nap in the shade. 

Amazing trail around the island

On our second day, after a revitalizing morning jog, we decided to explore the other side of the island. We walked three kilometers towards the famed mangroves North-East, where snorkeling is supposed to be good. Along the way, we enjoyed watching the local seaweed harvesters hard at work and their bright green crops drying in the sun on rattan mats.

Yet another stunning beach in Lembongan

Locals harvest, dry and sell seaweed

Rather than joining an expensive snorkeling tour, we heard you could rent your own equipment from the little shops offshore and go by yourself, a much cheaper and hassle-free alternative. We did just that and it turned out great! Although the shallow waters and big amount of seaweed made me somewhat panic, the see-through waters and plentiful aquatic life made for a pleasant excursion.

We could have done a lot with our third day on this magically laid-back islet and had brilliant activity ideas: renting a bicycle, having a second go at snorkeling, walking uphill to a temple Chris had stumbled upon on his morning run… In the end, we did what you do best on a tropical beach – soak up the sun, read and remember to glance up and take it all in!