Indonesia – Bali

Bali, Indonesia

Known as the land of paradise, beaches, warm seas and fun bars. Yep, it’s got that at the seaside area but there is so, so much more on this small island. Visit the jungle mountains, still active volcanos, terraced plantations of crops, ethical monkey reserves, Hindu Temples – especially the famous lake side one. Don’t miss the coffee plantations, butterfly farms, waterfalls and rivers galore and much, much more.

This is really a green wonderland and even though the country and hillside roads can get very busy, it is a place to get back with nature and see exotic sights and animals. No beach holiday will provide you with all this. Hire a guide with a car for a few day as I did – your hotel will know one – and travel the island (not possible by public transport) to see everything this island holds for the adventurous.

Bali and my S E Asia tour 

I visited Bali in Indonesia during my month-long tour of South East Asia.

On this trip I also spent time in Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. It was an amazing time of differing cultures, sights, sounds and smells and remains my most magical long-stay venture so far.

Read how you can combine several of these countries into a easy tour and get the most of the region while there.

Click below for my trip and reviews of these places.

Singapore

Indonesia: Jakarta

Brunei: Bandar Seri Begawan

Philippines: Manila

Vietnam: Ho Chi Min City

Vietnam: My To and Ben Tri

Vietnam: HCMC to PPen by bus

Cambodia: Phnom Pen

Cambodia: Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by Bus

Cambodia: Siem Reap

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia: KL to S’pore by train

No Bali beachlife for me!

I had fully intended for Bali to be an mini break for me on my tour around S.E. Asia. I had figured that I travel so much but just do not laze around on a beach and soak up the sun enough. I envisaged this island paradise to be the ideal place that would tempt me to do just that.

I am just not a beach person and lying in the sun is just boring to me. I’d have to be playing bat and ball or swimming and diving to keep myself entertained. I thought I could break the habit of a lifetime and just flop on a beach  …….

Well ….. it didn’t happen and I spent probably 10 minutes sitting down on the vast golden sandy beach before I was up and exploring what was around the beach area!

The rest of my stay here had me up early morning for trips out to see everything but the beach – and it was amazing.

So, If you have come here to read about palm fringed beach life, swimming in the blue sea, hip bars and nightlife …….. then I have to disappoint you.

Info on Bali

Let’s get a little history/culture perspective on this island and a few surprising facts.

Size-wise Bali is roughly twice the size of Luxembourg, or half the size of Connecticut or three times the size of Greater London. It’s only 153 km wide and 112 km north to south, so you might be tempted to think it is easy to get around. Think again! A lot of the island is densely forested, full of gorges and valleys and it actually hosts several volcanoes, dormant or not.

It has many peaks over 2,000 meters high, with its biggest, the still active volcano of Mt Agung, just over 3000 metres tall.

A population of over 4 million call this place home, mainly in the capital Denpasar and it lies only 8 degrees below the Equator – it’s hot and humid !

Traveling round this island is slow – most roads go north to south, ie up and down the mountains, everyone seems to drive a car or scooter making the roads a permanent road jam.

Roads whilst well maintained are always slow single carriageways and often clogged by slow moving old trucks and scooters. Once out of the major urban areas the roads are clearer but it still single carriageways everywhere.

If you want to get from place to place you need to realise that your average speed, even outside town is only about 50 kph, much less in Denpasar where you can crawl along. Public transport (apart from taxis) is non-existent for tourists and limited for locals.,

Just remember that Mt Agung, called locally “Mother Mountain”, is rated as one of the volcanos most likely to erupt in the world in the next 100 years. Indeed, a few months after I left, it did, necessitating the evacuation of thousands of people nearby and closing the only airport on the island for over a week !

Something you may not know, but will strike any worldly traveller, when they start to explore Bali. There is an absence of Mosques, in what is the most heavily populated Islamic country in the world – Indonesia.

Bali has been Hindu since the 13th century and still around 85% of its population call themselves Hindu. It is unique in Indonesia as being the only non-Muslim administration in the country.

90 minutes to get through security at Bali.

I flew from Singapore to Bali with Air Asia, an airline I used a lot on my S E Asia tour, click here for their website. It is a budget airline and has some incredibly cheap flights and is really extensive and popular in this area of the world. Ok, you don’t get food (most flights are only a few hours anyway), and the flights are usually full.

Leg room is ok, about the same as I have had on Ryanair or EasyJet in Europe. I have found them to be on time, efficient, clean, with modern planes and good service so I have no complaints.

I’d happily recommend them as a great budget airline and you will often find that they fly to places that many other airlines do not in the region.

I arrived at Bali Denpasar airport – actually very stylish inside. It has a massive carved wooden ceiling, with colourful decorations and really feeling like an island hut but a hundred times bigger. It was interesting at least to study the features while I waited in line for passport control …. and waited …. and waited.

There were only two desks open and they were already dealing with a full plane of arrivees when we arrived at the desks. Another plane arrived after us and by now the queues were massive and snaking round the hall to the entrance gates.

I had a car waiting for me at the exit to take me to the hotel and I was now, after 40 minutes of still queuing, a long way off exiting. So, I was seriously expecting them to abandon picking me up. Each passenger was taking around 2 mins to process. I made the calculation that with about 100 people still ahead of me that was going to take 200 mins, divided by the two queues, meant 100 mins till I got out.

I was not wrong with my eventual time being 90 mins!

Fortunately the driver was still waiting for me at the exit – he somehow knew I was still in there. Perhaps this is normal !

Where I stayed in Bali

The taxi whisked me out of the airport, then crawled along in the jam that I would come to realise is normal traffic. The driver cheerily said so too and we began chatting about places to see around the island. He handed me a folder with lots of pictures of places of interest and I could pick and chose where to go if I wanted to hire him later.

This was interesting as I was not expecting it but I assumed it was a trick to get my business ahead of anyone else and I really had no idea if the price he was quoting for a day’s hire of him – £40 – and the car to go anywhere was a decent price.

I anyhow read through the folder (it was actually quite professionally made up) and asked more about the prices.

He was helpful and while his English wasn’t perfect it was easily enough for us both to chat away. I got his card and info and said I would bear it in mind as I had no idea what I wanted to plan at this moment.

Bali was going to be a beach flop for me, I thought and for the first time in my life had really done minimal research on what to see here. Shockingly unusual for me I know, but I really thought it was going to be a beach holiday.

Ohana Hotel in Kuta, Bali

I stayed at the Ohana Hotel in Kuta, about a 10 in walk to the beach – if you know the route!

Hotel was great. Click here for Ohana Hotel website. Modern, clean rooms, stylish, good wifi and air con (imperative for me!), nice staff and the price was cheap despite it being high end – cheaper than many other similar category hotels but it had many good reviews.

I would recommend it.

However, get a room on the internal part of the hotel. The design of the hotel is that it has a huge central atrium area with an indoor pool (hardly ever used though, so no noise) and the rooms face into it.

I was given a room facing outwards with great views but local’s houses nearby had chickens and dogs.  Within 10 mins of entering the room I could hear dogs barking and roosters crowing – defo don’t want that in the early morning so asked to move to the other side.

As we walked into another outside room facing the other way I heard other crowing cockerels etc…..  I asked for and got an internal room !

The internal facing rooms have no external view, but a nice interior pool view and are QUIET!

I unpacked and went back to reception to ask about tours around the island and they said they would call their resident taxi-guide man. The same driver came over ! I had totally missed out that in fact the taxi driver was the hotel’s own driver and he didn’t say that. I assumed he was a company taxi called by the hotel, as is normally the case.

We sat down and chatted more and the more we chatted the more I liked the guy, he seemed genuine and I can usually tell a con-artist a mile off.

I was right, as he turned out to be amazing.

I agreed his prices – £40 per day all in.  As he was based at the hotel, I said I would do a check on the web for recommended places to visit and get back to him in an hour. So, I went off, decided on the 6 things I wanted to do and went back down.

He was there in reception and when I said what I wanted to do he knew all the places. He also said that, if I wanted, he could take me to eg monkey sanctuaries that were not tourist crowded and in fact nicer than the ones I had heard of. Oh, do I trust his judgement on that.

I took the plunge, told him my 6 places and he arranged an itinerary whereby we would leave at 9am and be back around 4pm and have seen 3 in a day for 2 days. He showed me the map of them and I realised I wanted to see places quite far apart on the island but he could do it all.

Well, the places he took me to were amazing.  Although I didn’t see the other places, when I read up more on them, I read comments about how expensive they were to get in, overcrowded with tourists, full of hawkers trying to sell you stuff etc etc.

My places were the opposite, tranquil, scenic, untouristified and outstanding – see my pics.

He kept with me at all time to help in any conversation with locals and to make sure that if anyone even thought of harassing me they were politely discouraged by him. An amazing guy.

He was friendly and we chatted about his family, some politics, his life at the hotel – he loved working there – the island make up etc etc . Stuff you don’t get with other guides. He was always there before I arrived in reception waiting for me and had no quibble if we arrived back late.

It was the same daily charge of around £40 per day that included him, car, petrol, and commentary.

I obviously would pay any entrance fees. Fees were so, so cheap that I paid for him to come in with me to explain a bit more which he happily did. I had seen tours that were charging this just to see one place for a couple of hours.

Needless to say I gave him a big tip at the end – because I had genuinely enjoyed my two days with him.

I would recommend doing this , ie a car and driver as you get  a personal a tailor made adventure. You also get there and back easier than a coach with many pickup/drop off at hotels and avoid that crowded packaged feel of 20 people with you.

What to see and do in Bali.

For such a small place Bali has lots to do and great variety with it.

If you are the beach type person then there is that in handfuls. The bars and eateries line the after-shore – mainly western brands or design – and are filled with beach tourists. Various high rise hotels line the areas too, scattered among older buildings and private properties in various states of repair.

Town planning is not a strong point in Indonesia and even Bali has some eyesores and dubious building standards and practices.

Kota Beach

I walked to the beach through Kuta town from my hotel and got lost at several wrong turning as there is no signage. I used the map given to me by the hotel but it was fairly inadequate. What It was showing as a road, was what I would consider a dirt track alleyway, so it took some getting used to.

Pavements also are not best maintained, exist or used for pedestrians either. The number of shops that had taken over the paved area to use as an extension to their shop was numerous. They thus forced you to walk into the road with fast oncoming taffic – a stupid and dangerous act of commercialism for unwary tourists.

The beach area is hard to find initially as the beach road has buildings between it and the beach so you really have to look for opening/walkways between these buildings to get to the beach – never seen that method before – it was a “find the beach” game in itself.

The beach fronts then had lots of tourists (mainly Australians from what I heard of the accents) ! They were surrounded by what were various street sellers and several young Balinese guys. They were clearly trying their luck with the Ozzies to see where they could get (and I’m not talking selling wristbands!).

The female Ozzies seemed to be enjoying it too and chatted but were resolute in where the conversation went, if at all.

I walked the beach and was amazed to find it almost deserted. Yep, it was hot and sunny and ideal weather for bathing and catching some rays.

Where were the beach goers?

Well, actually, they were all near the beach front buildings under canopies and sun umbrellas in their swimwear but not really using the beach. They were drinking and lazing around but the beach was near empty!

I was surprised at the apparent under-use of the actual beach, so decided to take advantage of the space and walked towards one end. The beach went on for kilometres and after 20 mins of walking I realised that the view to the shoreline and out to see was not going to change much.

I paddled in the warm water and watched a few locals using surfboards off the shoreline in the water and generally having a good time and then turned to walk back. I arrived back at my starting point and walked the other way only to find it exactly the same.

Unexcited by what I saw, I sat and watched the waves and took advantage of the cooling off-shore breeze. The sun was strong and hot and I was glad I had applied the sunscreen today of all days even though I was not feeling unduly warm due to the breeze.

I quickly got bored, the beach was pleasantly quiet, if that’s what you want but there was not enough here to entertain me. I walked back to the palm tree lined frontal area and past the locals still chatting to the Australian women in abundance.

I guess with Australia being probably the nearest foreign country and just a few hours flight away, Bali is their version of a Spanish costa resort.

With Indonesia being generally very cheap too, who blames them for taking up the offer of good hotels and beaches. The shoreline had lots of hotels and bars to cater for them and there was definitely a western style ambience for the tourists.

The Hard Rock Hotel, and European named restaurants eg Jamie Oliver’s, the renown British chef’s chain of restaurants were all here. A bit too like home for me so I decided to wander the Hollywood-like streets and eventually make it back to the hotel via a cosy Starbucks that I found.

Jambe Budaya Barong and Kris Dance

My guide said he knew of a great dance theatre that plays traditional Balinese music and a kind of drama play set to traditional music and instruments.

Sounded good and I had read about traditional Balinese music (lots of cymbals and drums) so I was intrigued.

We set off as there was a matinee performance that day and I would get to see it before a long day of sightseeing. The trip through the clogged streets of Denpasar, the capital of Bali, was an experience in overcrowding and fume pollution but showed me that even on a supposedly idyllic paradise island, commuting is still an issue.

We arrived at a combination building that had an open air theatre under a sloping opaque roof and a small shopping area and workshops next door. I was asked if I wanted to see how they make traditional Balinese robes with the dying and needlework needed and accepted.

It was actually part of the theatre as the robes and costumes used are all made in this workshop .

The working areas were open air and people (mainly women) were seated sewing, dying and weaving cloths and I could watch as they carried on their processes. It was so interesting seeing old fashioned looms in use and how easily they made the very intricate sewing and needlework looked, producing glorious outfits.

Next door was a very big store that sold everything made from hats to dresses to slippers and lots more in between. It was clearly part of the tourist set up to see goods before or after the show but it was very well arranged.

I was not hassled in the slightest, received smiles everywhere and actually enjoyed seeing the finished products.

Many of the attendees who had arrived shortly after me, were buying. The atmosphere was more like home ie we were not hassled, help was given when asked not forced on us and to be honest, lots of the goods were exquisite.

If I had room in my hand luggage only journey, I would have loved to have bought a few things that really caught my eye as presents for friends back home. Sorry friends, space restrictions in my small case means you are not getting anything however !

As we entered the theatre grounds there was a small group playing traditional Balinese instruments. Long cylindrical drums and an instrument more akin to a Xylophone with wooden hollow poles were being struck and gongs and symbols crashed.

The music became quite rhythmic and was played right until we were asked to enter. I videoed it and stood mesmerised at the players producing quite intricate sounds with ease.

Apologies in advance for the blurred nature of the following pics. They were taken from on my mobile and thus I had to use the not too good zoom function against a back drop of high sun.

The theatre production was fabulous. The orchestra, seated to one side in traditional costumes, played throughout and those xylophones and drums were dominant in the accompanying music.

We were seated in a tiered audience section and the whole theatre was open air – weather is so good here why have it indoors!.

Everyone was given a programme in their chosen language so they would at least understand the theme and setting of the play but once it started the rhythmic and very dramatic dancing took over .

I forgot to read it and was enchanted by the music – somewhat loud at points to emphasise the action but at other times almost romantic and soothing.

The play was about – well  …. a mystical theme involving gods and beasts so it was quite alien to me but the dancing and acting kept me entertained. It did last probably 10 minutes longer than I wanted as I was all actioned and dramatic-music-outed by then but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was very professional and well rehearsed and we even got to meet some of the actors afterwards for photo shots and to take pics of them in their costumes with some of their props.

A great way to be introduced to the culture and music of the island.

Pura Penataran Sasih Temple, Bali

Now I am the first person to admit to knowing very little about the Hindu religion.

With Bali being 85% Hindu there was a good chance that I would be visiting a few Hindu temples at some point. There were many on the island, miniture, medium and huge and each have their own attractions and merits. So I basically asked my guide to take me to what he felt (as a Hindu himself) to be a good compromise between one of the most picturesque and important.

I knew of the best known temple on Bali – Ulun Danu Temple on Lake Beratan, but what did he feel was the next best one.

We headed off for this Temple. The ones I had seen in Singapore the day before had colourful figurines in tiered arrangements at the entrances and tended to be one main windowless chamber. Maybe that is common in Singapore but these were totally different !

You enter all of these temples through a doorway that has no roof and is two upright blocks. It is completely straight on the inside but decorative and sloping to the floor on the outside. Bali rock is usually black from the volcanic ash and this one was no exception.

There was a kind of huge open-air roofed area that doubles as a Theatre, reception area and community centre and it was here that I had to collect my sari robe to wear to cover my legs as I was wearing shorts. It was actually multi-coloured and quite attractive and my gude mentioned I looked quite Balinese in it.

My pasty coloured skin I felt gave me away though !

We entered the Temple complex and it was spacious inside. I admit I did not understand what the functions of these numerous thatched roofed structures were both big and small. My driver-guide explained where the gods lived, which were for offerings, which for prayer, which for meeting of the monks etc, etc.

Most explanations were unknown to me, not being Hindu, but I got the idea of the layout.

There were many sections to the Temple, mostly open-air and a fair number of genuine worshippers performing their rituals and prayers at varios points. There were less tourists than I was expecting and yet again I believe it is because my guide was taking me to the lesser known but equally beautiful temples.

I noticed several local groups of tourists here that had come to worship and were taking it in turns to perform their rites in the sectors and then regrouping in a specific area.

The larger buildings were off limits to visitors but could be seen into from afar. I kept asking what the different buildings were for and my guide realised that I clearly had no idea of Hinduism in Bali, but did a great job of explaining them to me.

Several areas are small and semi obscured due to the black ash coloured rock walls obscuring an entrance but when you walked in I was often alone in a very harmonious and solemn feeling area. I could wander freely and take photos and get up closer to these really ornate structures.

Most had a black reed thatched roof rather than slate or tiles and several were intricately carved in stone and delicately painted.

Joss sticks were often still smouldering in many and a whiff of the pungent aromas from them filled the air. Most of the stone carved statues were being dressed in various colourful cloths, A black and white check pattern was the most prevalent one. I was told they were preparing them for an upcoming celebration.

There were clearly different architectural styles going on here from different periods. Some structures had pagoda style multi level roofs while other were just one large sloping one- maybe deemed as such by their function. Others had stone, sloping towers with figurines , while still others were slim and tall.

It felt that it had been gradually extended over time by the addition of extra courtyards and gardens.

I later read up that the temple originates from 1266 AD and was the main Temple of the Kingdom of this area at the time. The biggest attraction within this complex is the huge drum made of bronze. It is used in a Festival that draws large numbers to this otherwise, relatively quiet temple.

Luwak coffee

so, I guess you are asking what on earth is Luwak coffee or “Kopi Luwak” as it is called in Indonesia!

Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee and Luwak is the local name of the Asian palm civet in Sumatra. Still confused? Well here’s the story.

If I start by saying that it is one of the most expensive coffees in the world – a kilo of the best Luwak coffee beans can cost around £300. I can then say Kopi Luwak is made from the coffee beans that have been digested by a civet (a large racoon-like animal native to these areas). The civet plucks the raw coffee cherries or buds off the plant and swallows them.

The cherries go through the digestive track of the animal and fermentation occurs in the stomach and intestines. They are then pooped out naturally, landing on the ground. The beans are then collected from the poop, washed, roasted, ground and made into the coffee we see today.

So why did anyone think this was a good way to make coffee? Well, it comes down to the past history of Bali island.

During colonization by Europeans the local workers were banned from making coffee as every bean was wanted for the export trade. The locals got round it by collecting up the beans from the poop of the civet (Luwak), which roamed freely on the island, so they weren’t actually taking the beans from export.

The plantation I visited on recommendation from my driver guide was superb.

As we approached we were greeted by a guide who took me through the small field entrance area and pointed out the coffee beans growing (sad I know but I had never seen real coffee beans buds in the flesh!). She showed us the banana plants and other varieties of plants grown in diversity to flavour some of the coffees.

We did pass by a large cage where one civet was sleeping and who gingerly opened its eyes to check us out as we disturbed its sleep. I feel uneasy at the caging of any animal as I hate the idea of forced captivity.

The guide said this was just a display cage for visitors and the civets roamed much more freely in the fenced plantation. I was not sure of this but then I wasn’t going to be roaming the fields so it was hard to get the truth on this.

We passed by some people roasting beans by hand and I was allowed to join in and roast a few pooped-out-beans myself from a pottery bowl nearby. I was the only visitor at the time, so again I feel my driver-guide made an excellent choice as the experience was a one on one with the plantation guide and no masses of tourists.

The guide explained the coffee making process and showed me each stage as we passed through the open air prep area.

The plantation even had its own mini temple and statue to a god recently decorated in cloth – was it for the same festival as I had seen earlier in the Pura Penataran Sasih Temple ?

At the end of the tour we were left at the lovely bamboo constructed open-air café that had wonderful views over the adjoining fields and down to the plantation.

We were asked if we wanted to buy Luwak coffee and actually try it freshly brewed there. It was a smoky taste and actually not too strong – not what I was expecting in poop coffee!

There was also a menu for food and a taster tray of 14 different flavoured coffees mixed with flavours from bananas, to lemon to chocolate and fruits which I just had to order. I generally wasn’t keen on the flavoured coffees, genuine as they were. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned and like my coffee plain.

The snacks were fried and battered vegetables and a few rice style snacks – more like hors d’houvres and were delicious. I ordered another ordinary coffee after the Luwak coffee to see the difference and there was a notable change in flavour to what I understand as fresh ground coffee.

I had to comment to my driver and we chuckled about it – that I was about to put on Facebook to my friends  that I had just drunk “poop coffee” (we called it another word that I don’t want to print here!) and wanted to see my friends’ reaction comments!

The café views were peaceful and a cooling breeze was coming off the fields that was very welcome. I could hear the birds singing and other unknown wildlife noises out there. The scene was so calming and green that we lingered a while to enjoy the relaxing moments.

They had a beautifully presented shop selling all the coffee they made and a few other gifts in presentation boxes and I just had to ….. Yes  …. the only item I bought in the whole of my trip, to bring back with me, was a small pack of Luwak coffee.

It was small enough to fit in a corner of my hand luggage and I also knew that it was about 1/5 of the price I would pay for it in the UK, so I just had to.

I reluctantly left this tranquil oasis and we walked back to the car through the proscribed route catching glimpses of yet more of the fields from above, through gaps in the trees. We also passed by the cute beehives that they maintain to help in the fertilisation of the plants growing on the plantation.

Paddy rice fields and crops

The drive to the next place was scenic.

We passed by hundreds of small, almost one-person Hindu shrines and a few larger ones with a small compound. These were all set off the road and were almost touchable from the car window as we went by. They often had joss sticks still burning or offering of food or flowers places on them.

My guide told me that usually these are family shrines to the gods and as such are private to visit. The larger ones were for the local community or even just large and wealthy family ones.

The views across the field were interesting. Bali is heavily cultivated and intensively farmed so nothing goes to waste. There were flay paddy fields and tiered terraces of rice fields but many other types of vegetables were growing. Occasionally banana or coffee plantations came into view in their lush greenness.

I realised that a separate visit to a terraced rice plantation, as many guidebooks suggest, was not really needed as we drove beside so many anyhow.

Nungnung Waterfall, Bali

We arrived at this waterfall from above and parked at a nearby parking lot used as a drive in for some local stores and a couple of eateries catering for the tourists.

I had read about gangs demanding money to drive down the routes to other famous waterfalls and others aggressively demanding money for tickets on what is public land. However my guide also knew of these and so we headed for what was just as spectacular a waterfall as the others I had seen in photos.

There were no thugs demanding money here and I have since read of other tourists who have seen the others and reckoned this one was actually the best.

The only reason I can think of that deters visitors is the access down, around 500 steps.

Yep, you need to be fairly fit – the climb back up is even more strenuous but you are greeted with a 165 feet cascading waterfall. It is picturesquely surrounded by lush greenery, rocks and a decent pool of refreshing water to plunge into to cool off – and several did.

There were only about 5 or 6 other people doing this trek up and down which can take around 25 mins at a gentle pace. You also get amazing views across the landscape at various openings in the semi-jungle.

The steps are very well maintained and of various heights and steepness with handrails in most parts but I managed it ok.

You pass by several smaller waterfalls on the way and several seating points for rest. I noticed there were a few stalls that were closed in small patio areas of to the side of the pathway, presumably for visitors to buy drinks etc. I can only assume I was there at an off-peak time ,thus the closures.

You arrive at the base at some small rock pools and can easily walk over the streams exposed rocks. There are some safe but rickety bamboo bridges built across the wider sections. A little clambering about amongst rocks and small rivulets is required to get to the actual falls area, so ensure you are wearing stout shoes to visit this site.

The waterfall itself is beautiful and several local kids were splashing about in the huge pool beneath it and having fun. I waded through up to my knees, grateful for the refreshing coolness of it all after the hard slog down those hundreds of steps. The peace was worth the effort before I had to prepare myself for the long haul back.

Arriving at the car park again I was soaked from perspiring in the humid conditions and the exertion in the climb back up. I bought some water from the local bar and rested before we climbed back into the car.

This was the end of one day and the return back to the hotel was welcomed after my leg workout on those steps.

Tomorrow I was to visit the islands most visited attraction and one of the most picturesque Hindu temple settings in the world.

Sangeh Monkey Forest, Bali

The start of a new day of adventures and again my driver-guide said that he knew of a monkey sanctuary that was as good as the more well known ones but without the masses of tourists.

I trusted him as his other choices had been amazing.

We set off and after about 2 hours (remember the slow pace of traffic on Bali) we arrived at Sangeh Monkey Forest. It was the usual very cheap fee to get in and my guide explained that this was a wild forest that had encroached upon a large Hindu Temple that had now been mostly abandoned and only used on certain ceremonies.

The Temple was maintained well and with its setting amidst the acres of overhead dominating trees and greenery was actually a scenic venue. We walked past statues and walls that were pristine and even saw a local couple having their marriage photos taken amongst the trees and walkways, such is its unique beauty.

We wandered the temple grounds and again I saw these unique black. reed-roof, thatched. small shrines that I had now become used to seeing in Hindu temples. The walkways further into the forest were well marked on paved routes and I could hear the birds screeching and warbling and the occasional monkey call.

I looked across a clearing and saw a troop of monkeys had gathered and were preening each other. There were babies among them, so adorable but none approached us.

I was aware of the fact that these monkeys were wild and this was their home I was in, as the forest is owned for their use and kept wild and untouched as a sanctuary for them while humans maintain the temple.

Get up close with the monkeys

We were approached by a wandering guide dressed in traditional costume and my guide spoke to him. He asked if I wanted to see the monkeys closer (translating through my driver) and this intrigued me. I asked how could that happen and he said he would show me.

I asked if this guide was genuine to my driver and he said the man was also a guardian of the Temples and a kind of ranger for the forest.

He made a few whistling noises and we waited. He repeated the calls and suddenly a few monkeys appeared from nowhere and clambered towards him, running along the walls and walkway.

The idea is that the monkeys are free to live alone in the forests in their families but would recognise these calls and approach for food. The guide offered nuts to the monkeys and they took them, ate them, then backed away. He handed me some monkey snacks and immediately one monkey came to me and took from my hand.

Another nearby used the nearby wall to jump onto me, which startled me at first as I was not expecting it. It happily sat on my shoulder and munched away at the snack it had taken from my hand. That was an unforgettable feeling- an actual wild monkey sitting on my shoulder.

They are free to go and come as they please which made me feel so glad that they are not held in captivity, overly trained or restricted. I asked the guide how many monkeys were in the forest sanctuary to which he replied several hundred.

I then suddenly remembered that my innoculist back home had wanted to give me anti -rabies injections before I left as I was going to a rabies alert area (Indonesia). As I had given then less than 6 weeks notice and the injections are a series of two injections 8 weeks apart before travel, she said she could not start the process, She warned me just to avoid dogs and monkeys in case they bit me as they were carriers.

Damn, I now had to politely ask the guide how to remove the monkey who was happily sitting on my shoulder awaiting more snacks. He held out his hand with more snacks in it and the monkey jumped from me to him to continue his lunch. Relieved but saddened at the thought of losing my lovely monkey, I watched as he devoured the snacks.

Realising there were no more snacks the monkeys simply upped sticks and sped off back into the trees – they were only here for the food !

I asked my driver if it was customary to pay the guide and he said yes as they are here for the monkeys but its nice to give them a tip as gratitude for the experience. I happily did this and it was such a small amount my driver suggested anyhow.

If you get the chance, ask a guide for a chance to meet the monkeys for a while, pay him a tip and then watch the monkeys play around you. Yes, there is human- monkey interaction here which is always frowned upon in eco-tourism places but these monkeys are completely free to come and go in a huge forest without restriction.

They are not aggressive as I had heard about in the bigger tourist raps and snatch items and open bags etc as they almost prey on human as they are so tame. These were wild, in their families and slightly wary of humans. I saw a few monkeys in a feud fighting (no monkey was hurt), mothers nursing babies and others simply relaxing on the branches .

A wonderful experience as I had never been close up to a monkey before let alone fed one.

The grounds of the forest sanctuary are gorgeous as well. Well kept lawns, pretty, colourful and exotic small tress of lotus and rhododendrons against a backdrop of huge, tall palm trees and semi jungle give this the ambience of peace, nature and solitude that was the Bali I was hoping for.

Nearby were several stores selling giftware and a nice open air café added to the commercial aspect of the area. The walk through the gardens alone was so peaceful as I was one of the few people there. The lush clearing with its view of the near distance forest coloured my final experience of this place, to make it a relaxing and informative visit. Get here if you can !

Ulun Danu Beratan Bedugu

Or Ulun Danu Temple to give it its shortened name, or Bali-temple-on-the-lake in its commercial form name.

This is actually a four temple complex in extensive grounds set beside a lake in the caldera of the now extinct Mount Beratan. The most famous temple is the one that is almost the symbol of Bali and is seen the world over on posters and adverts for the island.

I certainly knew of it, in fact it was the only thing I had seen previously in pictures before arriving on the island.

Two Shrines sit together a short distance off the lake shore. One called Tengahing Segara Temple with 11 black reed thatched roofs, devoted to the worship of the Hindu God Vishnu. The second smaller one devoted to the lake Goddess “Dewi Danu”.

On the east side there is the Lingga Petak Temple. Built in 1633, this temple is used in ceremonies for offerings to the Balinese water, lake and river goddess Dewi Danu. The lake here is a major water source for irrigation of the local highlands and thus is sacred for the Hindus not only spiritually but economically as well.

The water levels can rise and fall depending on the rain waters, but when it is at its height the Beratan lake waters reach the brim of the temples. It then appears to be floating on the water, unconnected to the shoreline. Lake Beratan is known as the Lake of Holy Mountain and is 1200 m above sea level.

If you do come here something you will notice immediately is that, even in Summer,the air temperature is cooler and often misty. In Winter a jacket is even needed.

There is a large temple set in the grounds and more akin in style to the previous temple I had seen with its straight edge portico and orange and black coloured stonework.

You need to walk the grounds here, as other temples are scattered around but also because each new place gives you a different viewpoint of the whole complex. The whole setting has the backdrop of the nearby volcano/mountain and the views across the lake are outstanding.

The grounds and other outbuildings were very grand and spacious – just as well, as even though it was off season. there were many coach loads of tourists here. Trees and exotic coloured flowers abounded in carefully manicured lawns and gardens.

The tall, slender, almost pole-like trees gave it a magical air and it was clear that this Temple is very well maintained and cared for.

I arrived on what was a misty morning – not unusual here – but after an hour the mists cleared, revealing the opposite far-distant bank of the lake and its tree lined horizon.

The lushness of the greenery of all types made this feel fresh and alpine-like and the coolness of the air was a welcome relief from the heat I was soon to return further down the mountain.

There were various out buildings, roofed meeting areas and even a massive restaurant next to the complex walls. There is plenty of space to wander and take it all in as the gardens were open to all and carefully planted and mown.

Yet again I had struck it lucky and as I was wandering the grounds a procession was forming near me. People dressed in brightly coloured traditional dress were chanting, banging drums and symbols and making their way towards one of the temples.

Many were carrying baskets on their heads of what my driver told me were offering to be placed in the temple. I stood and watched as the parade went by, honoured yet again (after my two attendances at ceremonies in Singapore the week before), to have seen a ceremony at this famous Bali site live.

I had now seen the most famous structure on Bali and how panoramic and scenic it was in its lakeside setting high on a mountain. It was to be seen if the next site I was anxious to see would give me the same feelings as it was a totally different sight.

Mt Batur and Mt Agung. Bali 

My driver said he new a great restaurant near here and we could view the two volcanos in one viewing from its balcony. That sounded fabulous and true to form the vista was outstanding. The Grand Puncak Sari Restaurant has a buffet style menu and whist the food was ok it was not outstanding.

At lunch, strangely my driver wanted several large portions of chips – or fries as you Americans call them – more than anything else. When I asked him if he really likes chips he said that potatoes were not usual on Bali and he does not often have them so they were actually a treat for him – Coincidently it was the last thing I wanted here as it is too common back home – talk about differences in cultures.

The view from the restaurant’s massive balcony showed us both of Bali’s volcanos and it was clear that the last real eruption in 1968 of Mt Batur was still evident in a clear lava flow formation with no vegetation growing on it.

Mount Batur is an active volcano about 28,000 years old, with a collapsed summit – or caldera to give it its correct name. There is a large lake on one of its concentric summit rings with about 15 villages there, despite the danger.

The first documented eruption of Batur was in 1804, and it has been frequently active since then, most recently in 2000.The substantial lava field from the eruption is visible today when viewed from Kintamani, the town we were in on the southwest ridge of the caldera.

Mount Agung is also an active volcano and it is the tallest point on the island at 3,031 metres above sea level. It is so tall and massive that it actually affects weather patterns on the island, especially rainfall. It is here also that the most important temple on the island sits – I however was keen not to see this one, I had heard that seismic activity had been happening over the last year and a month before my visit an eruption caused the mass evacuation of 120,00 people  …. eeeeeekkkk .

In 1963 the volcano suddenly erupted twice in a few days killing 2500 and 200 people respectively on each event. The previous one to that was in 1843. These events were on my mind as I stood looking at these two monster summits. I jokingly asked my driver if he thought it would erupt again soon and he laughingly replied no, all is safe!

On my visit the very summit was obscured by clouds, such is its height. The landscape reminded me much of what I imagined a far planet to look like barren, rocky, brown (apart from the nearby trees) and mountainous. The view was amazing and it felt weird to be standing watching not one but two active volcanoes – luckily inactive at the time !

A month after my visit it erupted twice in one week, forcing 100,000 people to flee the site. A plume of smoke reached 3km above the summit and it closed the airport for a week, leaving a thin dust layer over much of the island. Had we talked up the eruption I wonder?

I had now seen all I was going to see and I was aware that there is still more here. This will have to wait until another visit !

The island had been a complete surprise to me. For me, it was not the idyllic big beach place that it is famed for – although that does exist here –  it was more of a jungle adventure.

I was not expecting the millions of people living here and had not expected such large built up areas. The Temples, volcanoes, waterfall etc I had seen enchanted me but I fell under a different spell. That of seeing a jungle scenery with religious sites in clearances and an active enjoyment of the wildlife.

…. maybe next time I will succumb to the beachlife!

Oct 2017