Indonesian                                      
          BALI    DIARY  8

24/6. It is a bit chill during the night, and the mosque real annoying. But in the name of religion… My host offers a real delicious breakfast, served in banana leaves. Black rice, sticky rice, boiled banana and a pancake, sprinkled with palm-sugar and roasted coconut. We have another long talk about conservation, plastic and alike.
As every morning, the neighbour walk his ducks to work on the plough fields.

On my way up the mountain, the most fantastic view reveals. The whole valley with mainly rice, but also bananas can be seen. When I zoom-in, hundreds of motives are found within the huge panorama.

It is a great through small villages, rice terraces and more and more forest. Then, out of nowhere, a huge parking lot turns op. Pay for parking, pay for toilet, pay for shuttle, pay for temple. Well, I just intended to do the nature walk, but still have to pay for parking and temple.

It is a steep walk up the Gunung Bisbis mountain, but besides from the shuttle busses, it is quite. Here are a few scattered forest farmers and some great but misty views. I see several new plants, one with orange-sized and coloured fruits, which must be native, as it is useless. A few monkeys might appreciate them. The fruits split in the middle, and look a bit like peaches within.

The Pura Lempuyang temple is found at 1058 meters height, but I just continue. It become more a rainforest, denser and with more epiphytes. Here are several Begonias and some, I haven’t a clue to. The little trail passes several small and abandoned temples, and a few times reveal a great view to the valley.

I turn around at 800 meters height, at a temple. Had I taken the shuttle I would have followed the stairs to the top. On the way back, I have a fast look at the overcrowded main temple, just because I paid 15 cups of coffee for it. Treat myself with a shuttle down to the car - which I have to pay for.

A few villages later, a truck-stop offers a real nice meal with coffee, for less than the same Bali coffee at the tourist site.

My next site is along the eastern cost. Amed should be a semi-arid area, but not much changes. Well, except the amount of tourists. The first south-eastern part is completely fucked up by resorts, dive-shops and fancy restaurants. Just getting access to the beach take some real commitment. And it is not worth it: Only black sand with a few coloured pebbles.

A hard drive bring me out to some coastal nature, but the long grass and bushes are fare from interesting. Tracking here does not make sense. A tiny road leads into the mountain side, and my car get to work.
At some point, I have to ditch it, and start walking a natural rock sealed trail. It leads into a huge area, where the tiny terraces are made by large rocks. If seems like they no longer are in use, but here are some real humble farmhouses.

Then the trail is blocked by what might be a wedding. The cooks work on the trail, while mainly men are enjoying beers in a large covered area. I politely recline to dissipate, and head on. The trail end at a farmer’s courtyard.

I head back to the coastal road, and as I pass the light tower at Gili Selang, it turns rural. It is a maze of small roads on the steep mountain side, but once, I make to a little harbour – or where the boats are drawn onto the rocky beach. They are differently not use to visitors!

Jasri is a slightly larger town along the coast, and where I skip the coastal road.
The last town before my country-side retreat is Patung Kereta Kencana, and I get to try most restaurants: The choices are chicken or pork, named Babi – which kind of give the song "I’m a ba(r)bi(e) girl", a whole new meaning.
Finally I succeed, but the serving is small, but what can you expect for €0,30? The next is better, with fried rice and a fried egg.

It have turned dark, when I head homewards at 18:30. It does take some commitment to drive these pothole and moped infested roads at night. At least, the rain only starts after I’m home.
 Day's highlights       All the better photos of the day

25/6. I start the day too early for breakfast at the farm, but it is a long drive along the north-eastern coast, to the Les village marked. It soon start to drizzle, and the planned breakfast at the unsheltered restaurant, with a awesome view, get cancelled.

I pass many dry rivers, small villages and a few larger, having markets. The traffic is quite light, and I might be speeding a bit. Then I reach the coastal part of Les, at half pass eight, but fail to find their marked. I find breakfast at a little filthy joint, but here are not much to choose from.

The beach have only been visible a few times, from the long coastal road, and only through the palms. Now, I find a little road, leading to it. Here are a lot of the traditional fishing boats and some odd looking fields. They are used to dry up seawater, harvesting salt. By spreading it over the mud, it dry in days, not weeks. The process is finished in hollowed-out palm-stems – or black plastic. They claim; the salt taste better.

A bit inland, the village of Les is found along with a lot of temples and an almost closed marked. This is a real unspoiled place, but I’ll do a short loop anyway.

Further into the real steep mountains, the 40 meter Les or Air Terjun Yeh Mampeh Waterfall is found, way into the forest. Despite the many dry rivers, this actually got water, and it is beautiful. It even get some glimpses of sun, while I sit and enjoy it, a bit away, to avoid the spray. My guide-dog give up on me, and head down by itself.

I enjoy a coffee near the car, but the clouds are gathering, and it starts to drizzle, while I set the GPS. The clouds opens, when I reach the coastal road. It soon leads to huge and deep brown lakes on the road, hiding the potholes. It is yet another long drive along the coast, but I don’t feel like stopping in the heavy rain.

Then I seek into the foothills, and soon meet some real narrow, but well sealed trails. Up and down the rice patches and a bit of nature.

Sawan is far smaller than anticipated, but I start with dinner at the local joint. A shower passes meanwhile, then I walk to one end of the village, in the drizzle. Down a narrow trail, there are actually a Pande Gong factory. Here, they build the religious instruments from scratch, and not using many tools. I had hoped for casting, but it seems to be banging, that does the rough work. I do most of the village, find no more factories, but a lot of water.

The rain continues, more or less intense, and I skip a ten meter waterfall: Sekumpul. The hens are walking out in the rain, a clear indication of, it will continue for quite some time. I have two locations for my home this night, and start with the most unlikely, but nearest. It is not here, but a mini-mart provides coffee, bisques and guidance.

It is a steep climb up to 900 meters, but the road is good, although twisted. The bends literally have bends! The lodge is here this time, but not only is it deserted, it is small bamboo sheets, scattered over a hillside in the middle of absolutely nowhere.
With sun, it might be nice, but with rain in this altitude, it is far from. Future more, it is an hour and a half drive back the same road to the first sight in the morning. I figure, my next lodge is way closer, and might have room for me a day earlier. And this one have been paid online, so I don’t feel bad about abandoning them.

Here are several stands with enormous amounts of firewood and some with fruits. I go for the latter, and stock a lot of small bananas, snake-fruits and dragon-fruits. Another coffee break in Paken at four, where the rain finally have almost stopped.  

In Kampung Bugis, I turn into the mountains and rain once again, and find the crater-lakes of Danau Buyan and Tamblingan.

My new home is at the shore of Tamblingan, at 1350 meters height. It is a great place, and my host unsolicited bring me a nice warm coat, despite it is 20C. They offer a slight overpriced dinner, but it is late, drizzling and misty, and I’m an easy mark.
 Day's highlights       All the better photos of the day

               And then into the next page; Diary 9.