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