EvilPandas Travel Journal

This has been a heck of a couple of days for me in Bali, to be honest when I first got here it didn’t really leave that much of an impression here, the more time i spend here though and the more Balinese people i meet the more I like the place. I’m staying in Sanur a quieter part of Bali, and a couple of days ago I went to visit my cousins in Legian Beach. This is just above Kuta the main part of Bali and the OCE-N Outrigger actually seems like a nice hotel to stay in. Quite modern, all the mod cons in the rooms, and really a nice place.

So what has happened lately, well the other day 24th October Late at night around 9:30pm I heard the roof strangely rattling in the hotel that i’m staying at, I thought it was weird but nothing further. So i’m sitting back watching a bit of Balinese Tv, a show that seems to be a cross between Perfect match and Idol/Xfactor and there is a rolling little thing down the bottom, in Indonesian the only word i can work out in Tsunami, so i open mr Laptop and find out that there was infact an earthquake for Islands across and there was a Tsunami Warning for here! Luckily the earthquake happened too far under ground to actually make a Tsunami.

Whilst having a long lunch with my cousins at Legian Beach they ask if i want to come along to the tour they are doing the following day, ofcourse having no plans I say yes.

The tour provided by Bike-Baik Tours Bali, picked me up at my hotel in Sanur, where we drove for a couple of hours to get into the mountains. When we arrived to a little coffee plantation, where the guide took us through a stroll of a Balinese Garden. We were going through checking out the Cocoa plant, Coffee beans (Kopi Beans) and a few other odds and ends, where we come to two cages where there is a creature in them. This creature is actually a Lewak, and well was making Kopi Lewak. (The rarest and most expensive coffee in the world). So we where able to enjoy a few tasters of the Coffee they make in Bali, Kopi Bali, Ginseng Kopi, Ginger Kopi, Lemongrass Kopi and then they brought down a mug so I could try Kopi Lewak. Its a nice coffee, great flavours but towards the end of the coffee it tastes a bit like mud.They also took us to meet some kids at a local elementary school where they were being taught english as well as their normal school work. The school is actually funded by the Bike-Baik Bali tours.

From there the tour drove us up to the very active volcano Kintamani, where I had a lovely lookout over the volcano and had breakfast. Down to the right is the village where they don’t bury the dead, and directly infront was scorched earth from the last erruption just 40 years ago.

They then took us further down the mountain for about 5 mins, where we would ride Mountain bikes down! I was already to go for my ride when we found out that my cousin couldn’t actually get up onto the bike that had the child seat, I was the only one tall enough that could do it. So from then on I had a 4 year old 20 odd kilo child on the back of my bike.

Riding through the villages is seriously an experience i’m not likely to forget we rode down into a rice Paddy where we were explained the differences in the rice, and some of the processes of rice paddys, then further on whilst riding through we stopped to see a small cockfight that they do to prepare some of the chickens before they are slaughtered as offerings to their gods. Whilst riding through the villages you get to see all the different walks of life with people carrying almost everything on their heads and backs. Little children come out from their homes run out really to say “Hello, Hello!” and you give them high fives as your riding past. Now with all bike rides and all things what goes down must come up eventually and there are 4 hills that are on this ride. The first one i almost got up with the little one on the back, however the chain jumped off so i couldn’t push it any further. The other three are just as easy but when you have a little one on the back you have to be careful so i ended up pushing the bike up the hills. Yes there was almost a spill but it wasn’t that bad! By the last hill it was very hot I was utterly exhausted and one of the support guys had to ride my bike with the little one on the back and I rode his for the last 3 mins.

Finally we finish the bike ride 28km’s later (99% downhill) and we have lunch at the owners place. They cook traditional Balinese food and teach us all about family and home life in Bali. All Balinese houses have 3 seperate buildings and they all have different meanings.

I have to say that the Bike-Baik Bali Tours are basically one of the best tours I’ve ever been on and I’ve been on a lot. So if you are ever in Bali be sure to look them up! These tours are run by the nicest balinese people that you will meet and they want to help you as much as possible.

Today is my last day in Bali, so i’ve taken a ride to Kuta, and am relaxing for the rest of the day! I’ll be in Perth on Saturday but i spend a few more days in Kuala Lumpur.

Those of you looking at this blog from your Iphone will find a new layout, basically I found some monkeys working hard in the background to press buttons and make it go Bing! Let me know if you like it!